Escape to New York
by Kosh17
Summary: Isolated in a war torn northeast Rouge and her friends must survive and reach the new mansion in upstaet NewYork. Read and Review Please! Chpt 7 is up.
1. Not Quite But Almost The Start

Disclamer:

I, the author, do hereby verify that all the listed characters and listed attributes are the proprety of Marvel 'TM'and Warner Brothers 'TM'. Kurt Wagner: Rouge, Profeser X, Logan/Wolverine, Beast/ Hank McCoy, Toad, Magneto,or any other attributes of Marvel'TM' and Warner Brothers 'TM'. All places named and refered to herein are not in my possetion to duplicate. I give no one permission to use any of the above regestered and copywriten forementioned.

I do however own Jason and all imcompased in his part of the story. Monty and all incompased in his part, in the story. All other caracters and ocurances, no matter how nominal, are expressly mine. Copy of them and all reguarding them below is prohibited.

All attempts to understand the twisted motive in the below are furitless. All persons attempting to discover an underlying moral will be shot.

Any person attempting to understand, discover, or otherwise fallow the plot are despicable and will die the death of a thousand screams.

Please be advised my story will contain clifthangers.

With the help of G-d, I am pleased to present the first instalment of my story.

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoy it.

Escape to New York

Two teenagers sat on the curb of an old street in downtown Baltimore. One taped a stick in the gravel and dirt while the other seemed to be thinking silently. What, no one could tell; a hood covered all expressional points of their face. The drummer moved and nodded silently to an imaginary song. Perhaps he wished for a bath or a shave, as the short beard portrayed, or maybe a bite to eat. He stood, informed his cohort of his intent and reaching for a long stick, began walking down an intersecting street. Old cans of soda lined the granulated walkway along with various other ex-food containers...to think once cars had driven on this road before it was sealed off. Meanwhile his counterpart sat on the street side waiting, hoping.

Later he returned holding a basket of food and batteries, he sat the basket by his friend removing the batteries for himself. As the other began to eat, the forager inserted new power to a personal radio and a flashlight. He took more food from a pocket in his jacket and also ate. He wondered and then asked,

'Aren't you going to ask me where this batch is from?' Munching was the reply.

'Hm,' he urged. A muffled mouthful answer followed.

'I'm starving, oh, just to hungry to care this time.' A pause, swallow, another cheek full and another.

'Besides I trust you didn't kill anyone for it or you'd be out of breath, I've seen you before like that.'

The darkly clad man couldn't help but smile at the sight of his friend with two bulging

cheeks. While the diner continued through more food, the man listened to his radio. The music put him at ease from his hard life, no contact from the outside in a wile, he dozed for a minute or two or more.

When he woke he fond his buddy had been using the radio while he slept.

He wanted to merely turnover and go back to sleep, but this was important.

'Hey, turn it off lets check up on you.'

The other complied, as he stood then knelt down in front of them. Drawing back a half of the black cloak covering his comrade he reached for his flashlight. The second reveled a short shirt that was now even more significantly shortened by a large swelling of the wearer's gut. The test was a flashlight being placed on the naval that lit up the entire belly. A bright green glow went deep into the victim stopping at the small shirt that covered the chest and the cut shorts below the expansion. Seeing this the victim put her face in her hands and moaned.

'Oh no, not again, so soon'

The man was silent what could he say to cheer her up.

' Lets go, the sooner we get there the sooner we can be done with those monsters!'

He stood her slowly and helped her to cover the bulge; they walked together as he helped her on.

'Once we arrive at the hive you'll be ok, we caught it sooner than last time.'

The girl cursed her fungal foe, 'I hate them their control on all of us, these growth and incubation things, Dogs! Why did they wake up in the first place? Didn't Xavier and his team say they would kill them all anyway? Don't the x-men care?' After the break out no one was safe unless the sites were quarantined, so this place and many others got locked up until a vaccination could be found.

'Hey, don't take it out on them.' he said calmingly, 'they tried at least. What's wrong is they didn't get a fighting chance."

'Oh, I guess I overreacted.' She had, but it wasn't unexplained, there were plenty of reasons to be on a short rope with the world. 'The government just left us their to die or who knows what! Doesn't that strike you as a little uncaring? She continued ranting.

Pushing on the holster under his cloak to make sure it was secure he didn't know why else to think.

'Maybe they are selfish and don't worry about the minority people of us stuck here. But we live in a bad neighborhood, I can't blame them completely.' The sun was setting stretching shadows on hope ever again as it had done every day since the infestation. Barrels, dumpsters and corners of dilapidated buildings that were exposed to the streets, began to brighten with fires to warm their occupants. The road was still wide and not traveled; people didn't go out when they didn't have to around here. The few people that lived here lingered in alleys and side streets. At the horizon 500 yards down a dot appeared, a figure traversed the path on towards them. When it drew near he called.

"Hey bro where ya been?"

"Oh Monty," the young man confirmed "I'm good " he called back.

Now approached a black man in old looking jeans wearing a cloak similar to his. His worn running shoes and torn pants exhibited a long time of moving faster than other people. Now knowing he was in good company, Monty zoomed up to meet them.

"Jace, I almost got killed yesterday!"

'Really now, don't you do that almost every day anyway.'

'Not if I can help it. Things are bad man, worse than before when you came here.' Monty kicked a piece of broken pavement.

'But that's still nothing new. I thought you had some news for a outsider like me?'

' I hear on the street in the lower west side people got attacked after infection and died, they say the ick inside 'um did it. That was all the survivors would say before they all committed suicide.

'Bad stuff man, real bad.'

'Scary,' murmured Jason trying not to let Rouge hear.

'He rolled his eyes towards her to tell Monty to lay off so as not o upset her. The girl shivered and seemed upset already. She was certainly nervous and Monty's news frightened her even more. Having an alien fungus that could eventually become intelligent in your stomach was bad enough. But the idea it was killing people was just nerve racking. It had been a lot harder during the first infestation, she was so scared she cried for weeks, until Jason found out it could be removed. Removed by the concentration of intelligent fungus at the center of town. They had clogged the basement of a skyscraper with their green yellow growth before anyone knew what it was. Confused repair workers of the Green lake office building called exterminators who thought they killed it but on a revisit for its supposed survival they were all killed. Investigators, police and those responding to screams all were ingested. Finally a news reporter's cameraman caught the gruesome footage on tape when he himself was eaten with the anchor. It scared the whole city. The other problem was the government sealed off the city with fences and walls the whole metropolitan area was under quarantine.

'Heard of some 'or breakouts last week', Monty continued 'all got shot up by guardsmen though'

'Bodies burned no doubt' Jason was sure of that. After all no scene in terrifying the general public and not deterring another escape attempt at the same time.

'Well anyway' Monty went on ' I almost got killed hanging with my peeps'

'You mean,' Jason smiled, he loved to tease his friend about his shady lifestyle, 'they tried to kill you, or something else?'

'No, no I get the joke but this is serious,' the black teen was assuredly upset by what he had seen.' something chased me last night, it was man sized and fast', he really looked scared, when he recalled the incident his eyes glassed over.

'Are you sure it wasn't a person ' attacks at night were not as common as right after the local government broke down but still they happened.

'Naw man my friends saw it too, like a human turned animal, on all fours even.'

Rouge trembled a little, 'what did it look like? She said.

' Couldn't tell, eyes glowed, it was like a blur. A thrown torch disturbed it. Scattered all us like sheep, nobody wanted to get eaten or have our mind sucked through our ears, we ran. When we came back the next day it was gone, scratched up the guy who woke it. Wore clothes like a man though. Weird man, real weird.'

'What color was it Monty?' Rouge was asking for detail again. ; _Guess she wants to identify it in case it's around. That's a smart thing to do leave it up to Rouge to have a good simple idea.;_ Rouge had been an x-man before but left when the mansion was sized by the government.

; _I wonder what would have happened if I had gone over there too_.; Jason had known Magneto but never wanted to join any group that mainly consisted of trash like Toad.

Monty continued, 'I think it was blue... either blue or green. I don't exactly remember everything from that night.' Jason was going to stay and catch up on all the news, but Rouge seemed ready to leave so he bid his friend farewell and started downtown.

The streets were now occupied, as people stood around fires and small groups walked in the giant pedestrian zone called Baltimore Maryland. Everyone slept in the streets like the homeless, because everyone was homeless. Houses had been vacated because power was out, as well as water, gas and food. Sickness had overtaken all who were in buildings months ago, now it was even dangerous to go in. A possibly hostile group passed the two, heading the other way. Or at least that's how Jason viewed it; anything was hostile until proven otherwise. He had hated to take such a negative stance, but in a changed world, attitudes changed as well.

'We should stop soon before we get into the bad parts of town,' he suggested, 'hate to be down there past midnight.' A breeze of the chilling fall night air seemed to help along the notion.

'Yea your right,' Rouge agreed, 'Nothin' to gain by gettin' mugged.'

The streets were either dirty or occupied. So the choice was having to put up with fights or snoring, snoring being the hardest to deal with. They found a suitable ally, pushed a dumpster another 100 feet away, to avoid smell and cleared some room to sleep. Would be a could winter as the radio news said, fall was also supposed to be wet and Rouge worried about where the two would go. It wasn't like they had a different place to go to, besides the wall. The wall was a dangerous place. If you got close enough to a guardsman, they were aloud to shoot.

'Could we clear out a top floor of a house or hotel... for the winter I mean.' There was a certain glimmer of hope in her voice, as if she ignored everything going in such a bad way for this city and many others. Rouge's simplicity to face the facts and not challenge them, it would be helpful in the future.

'I'm not sure what will happen in the winter.' Jason admitted, he hadn't planed so far ahead and spent more time looking for food that day.

'Well, what do ya think?' She was pressing him for an answer. 'It'll come rather you're ready or not.'

Reaching up and pulling back his mid length hair Jason sighed.

'Um, how about in a week or so, aye?'

Rouge let a slight grin escape her lips; she knew he understood her point. 'All right.'

The small fire they lit burned trash and an old newspaper. Finding things to burn was a problem this late in the year since the dead infested most houses.

'Dinner?' Jason asked

'Sure!' The very idea mad her stomach rumble and that sent them both laughing.

'Ya think we'll be cookin'?' Rouge was the resident chief because Jason burnt even eggs.

'Probably not,' was the answer, 'maybe though.'

Rouge came back with pizza boxes from an old store and some chairs.

;_ If I could only find lighter fluid_; She thought.; _It would help a lot, make fires real easy_.;

A few minutes later after rummaging and sifting Jason found something.

' Remember alpha bit soup.' he called chuckling as he walked back towards her. The laughter was short-lived as a man with a long bat approached. His shirt brown and soiled his leather windbreaker worn. Face groggy and eyes mysterious but demand simple.

'Had it over chum, before I hiort ya.'

The firelights reflection on aluminum was menacing. Jason dashed down the ally with his assailant not far behind, Rouge stood and he moved her glove. The man ran in feet pounding the gravel. He swung a wind up knock your head off swing, but the wind up gave just enough time for Jason to notice and duck. Rouge ran up with her exposed hand and grabbed the man's arm. The attacker let the bat fall to the ground and dropped down on his knees. Then Rouge noticed something, he was still awake and snapping out of it.

;_I Don't have his memories either_;. Now he turned to her and the look he cast had primary target writen all over it. He grabbed her neck and slammed her against the wall; she struggled to get away but to no avail. Meanwhile he grabbed Jason and tossed him into the opposite wall. She could feel the man's grip tighten on her and knew that if she didn't get free, there were only seconds left until she passed out. Desperately, she pulled at the large hand griping her. Now, even stranger, the unclad hand did not affect the man in the least, as he strengthened his hold.

'You should have been a wrestler.' Rouge let out.

'I was, but not like you'll remember or nothing.'

As her vision blurred and the world began to spin, a voice challenged back.

'Correction, you're the one who won't remember!' She didn't notice, as the man jerked his head for a look at the angle of death, but instead blacked out.

Jason drew his pistol and brought the barrel level to the man's chest. He saw the man's eyes go wide as his finger brought the trigger back. Hammer swung and man fell, Rouge collapsed and let out a breath. Jason drug the body of the fallen to a building where he deposited it, he would have liked to burry it but six inches was how far down you could go without a jackhammer. He would have liked to help the man also, but a gunshot was something he could not fix. When he returned Rouge was coming around and the streets were excited, the secluded ally was a nicer place to be. Luckily no one noticed the mugging until the gunshot and since that finished the fight no one had a chance to see the gunman.

Rouge was up,' no body saw you?'

'Don't think so.' He poured the soup into a saucer and set it next to the fire.

'Remember it came from the east past us,' he looked up,

'How do you feel?'

'A little knocked up, but not bad. Do you think it's safe to spend the night here?' Before he answered, 'we could move a few streets down.'

Jason considered her idea; this wasn't the safest place to be.; _It's not like the people around would come to our aid;_ he thought_,; after all no one came before._; Although he was against it, he agreed, 'I guess we could, besides I'm a little spooked after that guy jumping us.'

'Yeah what was the deal with that?'

Rouge had not heard what the man said to him when they first met.

'Oh, he wanted our food.' he con firmed in a low tone. The pause that followed let the idea people were starving set in. It was a sensitive subject for him and he did not fell like talking about it. There were some facts he never wanted to face mass starvation was one of them. The idea was generally unpleasant and gave him the shivers,; _we will get to a winter place before the starvation catches up with us. If only we could get out of the city_;

Taping of a spoon on plate snapped Jason out of his thinking. Rouge was eating already he was sitting down and did not remember not standing.

'I'm ready to leave when ever you are.' She said and leaned back against the ally wall patting her stomach. She closed her heavy eyes and dozed off.

Jason stoked the fire sending sparks up in the hot air. He listened as the small blaze crackled; his coat produced his knife that gleamed in the red-orange light. He began to sharpen it producing a light scraping noise that made a rhythm in the chill night air. Lights flickered and a short scream let out, a few people speed up their walking pace to investigate or maybe run in the other direction.

; _This could be a good time to move_,; he thought. Another loud noise prompted him to go over to his companion.

'Hey, hey,' Jason shock her a few times, 'things look like they are developing badly here. Maybe we should move now.'

She stretched, 'ok.' They gathered all the things and putting out the fire left towards another campsite. Many people, walking, running or stumbling through the darkness, suddenly occupied the streets. Rouge was knocked over by a man clambering around. She let out a small yell, which brought Jason spinning around reaching towards her. He grabbed her arm,

'Alright?'

'Uh, yea.'

'O.k. hold on, don't let go.'

He placed her arm on his long coat, its leather was easy to grip although is hard. The night was almost pitch black. A large cloud covered the stars and moon above them. From what she could tell they're going against the seemly continuous flow of more and more terrified people. The further they went the thicker the crowd. This huge mass of people did not sway Jason in the least, he was determined to get through and was not thinking of what everyone was running from. Rouge fought back the impulse to turn around and flee too. _'A crowd could affect your choices easily_,' Jason had told her before, _'that is why you have to have nerves of iron to go against them.'_

Suddenly the sea of panicking denizens stopped, the road was empty as if the sand of rushing locals had poured from this side of the giant hourglass. A few stragglers went by mostly wounded and elderly. Jason stopped a man on a crutch.

'What happened here? Why are all those people running!'

The man kept hobbling away, 'don't ask me mister, I'm just running first and asking questions later.' He went off to join the rest of the group.

'Young man, I say, young man.' Jason turned to find an elderly man holding his hands to a burning barrel.

His patched clothes and white beard alluded that he had lived on the streets before the fungus came. 'People are scared of the monster.'

'What monster?' He wondered if it was the one Monty saw.

'Eh, a local scourge in recent weeks, some sort of humanoid beast.' The old mans eyes peered into the vast blackness of night. He suddenly whipped towards Jason.

'It is here.' Jason looked around, whatever the old man saw he could not. Although he did visualizeRouge strolling cautiously down a dark ally, by instant his hand shot out to call her back.

'No!' The old man whispered softly but harshly, 'he is here, you'll disturb him.'

Jason was really bothered by this man's almost religious respect of a so-called monster. For this instance he might play off of that weird respect.

'But she could also disturb it.'

'That will be her fate son; maybe it won't care or go away. But I have seen this thing many times before and know if you leave it lone it goes away.' That wasn't comforting for Jason to hear because Rouge wasn't certainly leaving it aloe if she even knew where it was.

'What happens when you don't?' He was responding in a whisper now, the air between each persons speaking was thick and tense.

'What happens all depends, if she aggravates it or not. I've seen it capture people and run off with them. Let's hope she realizes it's truly dangerous.'

Jason wanted to rush foreword and defend her; a 45 could drop anything. The idea of getting her killed by the monster was all that could possibly hold him back.


	2. Mental And Physical Confusion

Some one please review so I know there is intelgent life.. on the..outside...let me know you're there.

Huston we have a problem.

Please have mercy, I beg you. I could get writer's block. Rock and pool so nice and cool to catch a review so juicy sweet!

WARNING THIS CHAPTER IS WEIRD. REALY REALY REALY, ODDREALY BIZARRE. VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED.

And now a word from our sponsers.

"EAT MORE MONKEY MEAT" AND

" SQUASH A DOZER(those little things off Fragle rock)"

NOW OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION.

While the old man had been speaking to Jason, Rouge started thinking about her present situation and it was not very encouraging. _;I look a little bad_; she thought examining her swelled plump belly. The shirt she had been wearing was very tight now and became a midriff every time she breathed. Green and yellow lines ran across it like a watermelon.

; _I suppose people just think I'm pregnant_; she sighed. This could be compared to pre-motherhood, 6 months of it was more exact.

_; For me to grow that fast is insane. Before I know it I'll look like a pumpkin.;_ She pictured herself huge and orange with a vine sprouting from her head. Then her stomach rumbled

_; Time for a snack,;_ she beamed rubbing it. Rouge thought of food and licked her lips the creature inside of her was effecting her appetite dramatically. In the cornerstone of the street there were boxes, they held many candy bars in unmarked boxes. She began to shell them and devoured a half a case; the super fattening chocolate was exactly what her inhabitant craved. After almost throwing up the last bar it was time to quit. It was dark in the store but her flashlight shone brightly enough to see by, that was her undoing. While waiting for the junk to settle pocketing more bars for later, she thought to herself.

_; Sugar, getting fat never felt so good_.; The feeling of being completely full was nice, she hadn't been that fortunate in a while.

_;I wonder how many people get to do this at night.;_ She leaned back against the sales counter and patted her growing bulge. A magazine left no help from boredom.

_; Nothin' but stupid celebrity babies and one minute marriages.;_

After recuperating she made a trip down the peanut butter and popcorn isle. The liquidated nuts slid down her through like water and any leftover popcorn had already stricken from the shelves.

'To bad,' she said, 'there's not any popcorn, Ah like popcorn.' Had she been thinking Rouge would stop eating so much and leave, but she wasn't. A few minutes of searching found watches and batteries, but not what she was looking for.

'Should've figured,' she snorted, 'first to be taken was probably cigarettes.'

She hadn't smoked before all this but now she had taken it up along with 12 million other people.

'Hey maybe there is a shot gun under the desk.' That was a hopeful and rewarding thought; the weapon was stainless steel, pistol grip1. Then underneath it was a secret compartment that revealed ammo and cigarettes. Rouge took one out and lit up.

'Ahh' she sighted breathing out the first drags worth of smoke. _; There must be three boxes in_ _there_; she thought happily. At the end if the first smoke her stomach rumbled a soft roar.

; Where does it all go?; She didn't notice as her gut expanded pushing the shirt she wore higher and sagging on her shorts.

_; Captain crunch,;_ she read_,; never had anything against him_.; It was the first to fall along with a couple boxes of Cookies n' cream and Pops. As she leaned against a shelf to catch another smoke she felt a stretching sensation, as her stomach applied a few inches to her waistline.

She was aware of it this time and bent down for a look.

' Was that me?' She asked the wall it seemed irresponsive and unimpressed. A muffled gurgling noise penetrated her eardrums and answered her question.

'Let me try that again,' as she reached for another box of cereal. She ate it watching her stomach intently nothing changed another box proved non responsive until the fifth. Then a loud 'URLCH,' left the room in a stunned silence nothing happened still.

'Guess I was seein things,' she murmured. Then she felt it again and looked straight down, just in time to see it all start, she grew again, more than before.

'Weird,' she paused 'Ah blew up, like a balloon!' Again Rouge got hungry, so she ate it all away and more just to be sure.

'That was really freaky, nothin like this happened last time.'

It all felt strangely good, as her stomach broke her belt off. Her eyelids became slits as a feeling of comfort and excitement raced through her nerves. She let out a breath and another as the growth on her body came to a close slowly letting her down from the high.

One phrase seemed to penetrate her entire being with lust.

_; I want more_; echoed in her mind_; don't you?;2_

'Oh yes, it was wonderful!' she responded out loud. Her stomach twitched as her hunger grew again she leapt up and raced for more foods. Bag after bag emptied through her cheeks until the floor was covered with three layers of chip symbols. Crackers and dips of various kinds caressed her pallet for the minutes that passed. Cotton candy, mnm's, gummy bears and mints stood no chance against the hunger in her. Now soda by the gallon filled her very quickly. There was little more than ten liters in the store. It all began again but stronger; she dropped to the floor sighing. Her stomach moved downward to allow more fat. Not flab but tight fat that left her upper body looking unchanged. Inch after inch pounded on as the infection bubbled ever larger. The shirt she wore was now so high strung it would almost play guitar notes. The pleasure was amazing it felt heavenly as her eyes narrowed again spurring complete ease of mind. It was the best feeling she'd ever had. Her belly stretched again and again each time causing a short 'URT,' noise. With a loud, gurgle it stopped leaving her whole middle looking like a huge watermelon; the symbiotic inhabitant had aggrandized enough for now. The transformation left her speechless and paralyzed. Just before she felt she would fall over tentacles shot fourth as the symbiot brought on tools of its own. Now she regretted the gorging and personal pleasure. Her eyes lost all dilation and became solid green, emitting a soft glow.

_; I've got to get out of here and get to Jason maybe he could help get rid of all this and stop this thing.;_

Rouge tried to stand, but the weight of her belly was too much. Her arms and legs just failed to lift; she tried again and again but to no avail. She studied her stomach; its perfect roundness looked almost as if it could pop off and roll away. Even if she could stand she couldn't walk, it was too bulky and unwieldy. She thought to yell for help but was stuffed like a turkey when she opened her mouth to call out. A tentacle was shoving a loaf of horribly molded bread down her, she gasped for air choking as it went down. She heard a familiar sound as she turned face to face with the beast of the city. He was crouched on a top shelf a few feet away staring at her with interest.

'Please, help,' she half prayed.

'Help, is my job.' He let a thick German accent prevail in his speech. As Rouges inhabitant inched towards the back of the store dragging her along, he hoped away whispering, ' I'll be back.'3

The back room was as dark as an unlit basement, floorboards creaked as the huge mass creped across it; a slurpy machine loomed at the distant wall. Upon reaching it the tentacles broke a pipe and when it realized this was in fact sugar shoved the pipe into Rouges mouth. Knowing full well it would only help the symbiot she brought up her hands to stop it. But to no avail as a tentacle wrapped her hands while the other kept up the force-feeding.

'Don't you want the pleasure again,' it spoke freely in her mind now,' were you satisfy with the last experience.' A huge craving for it covered over all emotion but that of self-preservation.

'Ah won't be addicted to some drug of yours!' She warned it in her mind. The pleasure came again in a bigger dose, it was the last attempt to make Rouge a dependant. Her body writhed and eyes rolled to the back of their sockets, due to its intensity. With her body from the waist up turning green she panicked. Wave after wave of pleasure crossed her, calming her all the way down. She drifted to a fantasyland of bliss, but just before diving in Rouge remembered this was all a trick to control her by the monster. She opened her eyes and the darkened room began to brighten into a peaceful world of happiness and in front of her stood the devil his red body and long horns menacing. He jumped to attack her. Griped by a will to overcome, she dodged his attack. Then suddenly it hit her again this was not real, she shook her head back and fourth but the projected image still remained. Covering her eyes Rouge was griped with pain as she tried to escape the fake reality. In her mind and then out loud she screamed.

'Professor!'

The devil spoke in the thick German of the local beast, 'he's coming.'

Then it happened, the small box she created in her mind to preserve her consciousness, yielded the image of the professor. He stood without his chair and spoke to her image of herself before infection crouched in the corner of the box.

'Rouge what happened?' She opened her mind allowing him to see.

'Together we must stop this!' He said 'come with me,' he pulled her up and approached the box wall.

On the outside Kurt watched in horror as Rouges body was being slowly sucked into the green mass.

_; Professor, you must hurry, the thing is swallowing her_!; He mentally called.

Inside Rouges troubled mind images of her and the professor walked through the wall to a cavern made of fungus.

'We need to hurry and sever the connection between you and it.' Rouge passed memories and ideas to a central conciseness where a figure of fungal Rouge stood, along with a huge head of the fungus itself.

'Release her!' Xavier demanded.

'No you release her to me.' The huge mouth beckoned and the evil fungal Rouge grew in size and attacked tentacles reaching for each.

'Fight it in your mind,' he called, 'I will help you.' She did fight, all the anger of being controlled came through as she hit home with a mental stab at the heart of her captor. The suspended head swayed in protest introducing other ideas to confuse her, but hate so steeped in trickery was a stronger force. It was harder as the battle raged and for some reason the fungus never died only shrank when hurt. The monstrosity had a last chance and the question raised.

'I can give you love, no other creature could ever hope to have a relationship with you, by I can help.' She paused her attack and listened her mentor's urges falling short of the current topic.

'Not only can I suppress your power, but change your appearance to be more wanted.' Her depiction of her normal self in her mind molded into a model, perfect in every way, horribly attractive, a showstopper.

'Ah could look like this?' she studied her new body; it was very pleasing and made her feel confidant.

'Of course,' the mouth grew huge and Xavier looked on in horror as rouge shrunk inches at a time, then a foot until she was the size of a doll. After marveling after newfound self, Rouge looked up at a much bigger area than she had been in before.

'Oh crap!' She realized her mistake.

Meanwhile Kurt was bored and wanted to help, the huge blob now sucking Rouge down was making him mad. He thought aloud,

'I've got to save her, she is all the family I have.'

Taking out the collapsible quarterstaff Gambit made for him 4 and stepped back letting the weighted end extend it to the floor. Kurt crouched on the balls of his feet as always, wound up the telescopic weapon and swung. A loud thud rippled across the room as a man raced into the store. Kurt came whirled and rushed to the front of the store to meet him. He was excited by Kurt's glowing eyes in the unlit room, but courageously demanded where Rouge was. Kurt studied him silently and smelled the air around the man trying to get his scent and recognize him. The uneasy man pulled a revolver for added incentive and reinstated his demand.

'Over tzair,' Kurt gestured towards her,' but don't go near the professor has to help her.'

Jason couldn't see where 'tzair' was.

'Who the hell you and this professor getup are, I don't know. But she's my friend and I know that, so step aside.'

Kurt wasn't sure how upset Rouge might be; it was all he could tell the man to compel him so he would listen.

'You don't understand,' his voice lowered knowing he was embarrassing her, 'I'm her brother.'

Then suddenly huge tremors shock the alien form it rattled and lost all ability to compel her mind. Seizing the opportunity Xavier left his mental opponent and ran. Scooped up his busted student, he raced for the vibrating mouth that hung from the ceiling and placed her next to it.

'Kill it quickly,' he commanded, ' you must cut it off from your mind!' 'Hurry before it regains its conciseness.' Rouge now knelt to focus all his power on subduing the mouth, but what on earth was causing the alien mind to stop.

Kurt's boredom was missed wile he explained the entire story to Jason.

He told how she cleaned out the store and got hugely infected.

'It's really not so uncommon,' Kurt reassured him as much as he could,' I herd about it lots of times before.'

Now it was Jason's turn to feel uncomfortable, he hand been talking to the beast for a few minutes, but all he could see was the menacing glowing eyes. He was not sure if he trusted it. Anyone who hid, he did not trust very much.

'Step into the light.' He commanded Kurt.

'I cant you see my...'

The click of the revolvers hammer setting into the catch set a new standard for Kurt.

_; Even though he can't see me he can see my eyes_; the x-man reasoned.

'No offense mate, but if you don't do as I say, I'll blast your brains out. Now move into the light.'

Kurt did not want to make a scene and mess up this guy; Rouge had enough reasons to be mad at him already.

'Alright, but I warn you, this film is rated parents guidance for anyone under thirteen due to disturbing images.'

He stepped into the stabbing pains of the million-candle power flashlight Jason pulled on him suddenly. The soft glow of stars expected this really surprised. Lights poked at his eyes and glared from everywhere jumping to attack him.

Jason jerked in surprise at the squinting mutant, he was ready for a monster but not a man monster cross. Its tail twitching behind it, cloak covered in blue fur that originated from the body, which itself looked like a shag rug. As shocking as the beast was nothing was more important than getting his friend back.

'Where is she?'

Kurt's eye hurt, he couldn't see at all and was very scared.

'Ah!' He yelped. 'Please! Please! Shut it off!' He shot up his hand to cover his eyes; the pain was enormous and drained him. ' I can't stand it! Please!'

Jason saw the long fur and claws. Was this a man or truly a beast?

Kurt dropped on his knees lacking the concentration to pull off his cloak and cover his head. He tried to run but only moved a few feet to the wall.

'I cant see! My eyes hurt so! Please don't do tzis, I.. I could go blind!'

Jason felt if he could capture this thing it may be safe to look for Rouge again, he wanted to ensure it was submissive.

'Have mercy,' Kurt begged unable to stop the pain or think of anything else. 'I didn't hurt you at all!'

Blood dripped down from the beast eyes and he shut off the light. Kurt collapsed in relief; Jason picked him up and carried him out the door to the old man.

'Sorry, but I cant take chances, epically on a beast.'

'Tie him up.' he ordered, pointing the gun down at a very unfortunate Kurt and giving the Bum a rope.

Jason returned to search the store. In fear of being found the fungus hid itself in the non-operational freezer.

After he was sure it was tied up the old man commenced to beat the living daylights out of Kurt

For some strange reason the man hated him with a passion and kicked him many times cursing.

A few smacks later Jason returned his search unsuccessful.

'What are you doing?' He scolded the old man, 'I asked you to tie him up not kill him.'

'He…he gave me trouble.' The man lied. Ignoring the lack of truth he focused on Kurt.

' Where is she?'

'No.. Vay I'm ...Telling you,' the later stammered,' your freaking ... Sadistic.'

'I need to know, so how about you tell me where she is.'

Kurt shook his head stubbornly. It was hard to take the mutant seriously because each of his eyes were spinning in a different direction as defined pupils appeared.

_;I hate having to hurt people just to keep my self and only friend safe.; _

'You want the light again fuzz ball?' No matter how much he didn't like it he had to find Rouge.

'I want answers!'

Kurt's mind was swimming; he had a hard time keeping a train of thought. At the time a random idea of his long time mentor Logan popped up.

_; That might work,_; he thought, ;_what did I have for supper last Fourth of July?;_ He pushed that stupid notion right out.

_; Logan, what would Logan do?;_

'Vats it to Ya BUB?'That was the only courageous thing he could think to say. The imitation was bad in his thick accent, but it worked.5

'Where is She you bastard?'

Jason was ready to shoot him but needed to know what had happened to her, she wasn't in the store.

_; Did this thing capture her, or worse.;_

' You'll never hurt..' Kurt was coughing and began to hack up a hairball, when he chucked it he continued.'...never hurt her as long as ... I am alive. Just kill me now ... I'll never tell you.6

Blood dripped down his cheeks from his eyes; he was in pain and blind. But he didn't notice the warm liquid in his face, or that he could not see. Life right now was too painful, too pitiful an existence and his body was feeling the affects. The meals he had missed in the past weeks were

catching up to him. He tried to convince himself it was necessary to stay awake

'Fine I'll find her my self, but if I find her hurt or anything else,' he added coolly,' you will pay the price!' He stormed off to find his friend, not at all pleased having to look across town with no clue as to where Rouge was.

_; Killing that animal wouldn't help me find her, maybe he'll talk in the morning, that is if I don't find her tonight.;_

Kurt then lost consciousness.

1 Oh yea lovin poiston grip. 2This part is weird butI warned you a combination ofstrange radio shows that come on after 1a.m.

3 I hereby name Kurt the Germanator. 4 always thought he needed one. 5 Ramdom insertion of a good line 6 Hey it could happen.


	3. Encounters

Good day folks.

My strange tale goes on. Thanks for reading. I'll be away for a few weeks an unable to

post or write, so give me some time here okay. (I normally try to post once a week.)

So although it may seem a long wait (for the three people who read it, Coughs, we need more readers and reviewers questions are welcome. Coughs again trying to mask that entire sentence. Awkward silence follows.) Maybe I'm not turtlly enough for the turtle club.

Always remember.

The truth is the best lie.

The world is full of troubles but each person feels only his own.

(Regarding R. E. Lee and other famous influential leaders(is that all of them)).

If these great men are indowed with special wisdom and charisma that is a small gift from G-d. How can we ever hope to fathom the entire glory of our creator?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rouge woke up as if from a dream, it was five a.m. and she stood up.

It was gone! The horrible fungus was gone! Or at least most of it. Professor Xavier was still up and sensing she was awake spoke mentally to her.

_; I attempted to remove it all but before I could a self-preservation instant set in. This may shock you but it left more in you._; News like that was a shock, the very idea made her dizzy.

; In me, more!; she said aloud and in her head and then gulped.

; _I am afraid so,;_ the professor explained, _; it tries to force you to produce more of its kind so it can infect more people. I know this is surprising, we can help you though, you must come back to the institute before this is finished. Your life may depend on it._; It was all so sudden the infection and this, when would life be normal again?

'Professor, how many are in there?' Her belly was twitching again in several different places and she felt like a stretched balloon.

'I am not sure ten, twenty maybe.'

'Ah'm gonna be sick!' Rouge said as her stomach somersaulted a few times.

; You recently threw up half the store into the freezer but thank g-d you don't remember;'

'Professor was...' He finished her question,

; Yes your brother is there;' Xavier scanned for Kurt and found him in a state of agonizing pain were he to be conscious.

; He is being held captive outside and he's hurt, approach with caution.; Rouge reached for the shotgun on the counter.

_; Ah've got caution all right._1_ Bye professor Ah'll get in touch with you around noon. ;_

_; Goodbye Rouge, good luck._' She chambered the rounds to be sure it was loaded, and removed the safety.

'Alright little brother,' She walked towards the door shifting the cumbersome weapon in order to get it through,

' what mess did you get into?'

Outside Kurt was tied to a telephone pole and out of it; an old man was lying under an old paper on an old bench nearby. This section of town was more dilapidated than the area Jason and her lived in.

'Wow,' she said sarcastically, 'high class part of town.' The old guard had fallen asleep at his post.

_; Ah'll just slip him out while that loser dazes.;_ Rouge thought. She walked up to the prisoner,

'Kurt,' she whispered so as not to rouse the guard.

'Pst, Kurt wake up!' She shook him. 'Come on Kurt.'

'Ohhhh,' he heaved and moaned. She hadn't seen him in a year.

'Nice state to find you in after all this time.'

'Mayne koff,' he raised it and looked around 'vats going on?' Rouge noticed the look he gave her.

'Kurt what happened to you?'

'Ahh, I am blind!' he shirked 'I cannot see! Professor! Are you there!'

'Now you've done it.' The guard stirred and turned over dropping the paper.

'Vere am I?' he asked Rouge; he was panicking now and would surely wake his captor.

'Shut up fuzz ball before you wake the guard up!'

'Rouge is zhat you?' She noticed the dried blood on his face rationalizing he must have had quite a time last night.

'Of course it's me.'

'But what happened, wait,' Kurt's mind was clearing, 'you're o.k. zhis is great.'

'Yeah Ah'm fine,' she started to untie him,' but what happened to you?'

Kurt thought back,

'I remember talking to someone in a store somevhere but I don't know What about.' He coughed and continued his testimony. 'He had a gun and shone a huge light on me. It hurt a lot, I tried to make him stop but he wouldn't listen. He blinded me with the bright light and interrogated me. Another man beat me before and I passed out.

_; Thankfully Jason can heal him when we find him,;_ She thought. Then a starling idea occurred to her.

_;It could have been Jason.;_ That, she hoped, was not the case. _; A different problem is Kurt can't remember a thing, or is that a problem. If he doesn't remember, he doesn't know I...;_

'Lets get important things out of the way and fix you some food.' She led him as quietly as possible to the store sat him on the counter, then looked for something (if there was anything left over) for him to eat.

'Ya like Crispy Cheese Ball of Puff things right?'

'Sure!' She tossed the bag to him and he failed to catch it.

'Sorry, forgot you couldn't see. Here's bread n' that fake milk too,' this time handing the articles to him. While he ate she lit a cigarette.

'Kurt what brings you here? Why'd you leave the institute?' He gulped a few slices of bread comically.

'Well I had to find you. After the bombings the Professor sent all of us in the mansion out to round everyone up and bring you back home.'

'What bombings?'

'Just China again, they hit Nebraska this time.'

'China's booming us what is going on!'

'Well, the Chinese got mad when the president threw up on their Emperor. Then they shot down a spy plane. Finally we blew a Chinese sub out of the San Francisco bay. Things never got better after that.' Rouge went to get a small boom box and put batteries in it. The machine flickered as she turned it on. Scanning through channels she found a local news station.

A radio commercial started.

CHEESY CHEESIES ARE THE BEST!

FEED THEM TO YOUR UNWANTED GUEST!

THEY LOOK GREAT ON YOUR VEST!

STUFF THE MATTRESS WITH THE REST!

CHEESY CHEESIES ARE THE BEST!

BUY CHEESIES BY THE 500-POUND BAG AT YOUR LOCAL SAM'S CLUB OR OTHER REALY BIG STORES.

The jingle ended and news came on the air.

'NOW OUR LIVE UPDATE FROM STEVE JACKALANGER IN HAWAI.'

The voice of the anchor crackled on a cell phone.

'BILL THINGS ARE A LITTLE CHOPPY ON THE FRONT. I AM TOLD WE SUNK A CRUSIR AND TWO CHINESE DESTORYERS 500 MILES AWAY. THE MORALE IS STILL VERY HIGH HERE IN PEARL HARBOR ALTHOUGE WE LOST OUR LAST ENGAGEMENT THIS ONE TURNED OUT MUCH BETTER, DEATH TOLLS FROM THAT BATTLE NOT IN YET, BACK TO YOU.

CLICK, the radio turned off, Rouge was astounded.

_; How could this happen?;_

'Anything happen to the mansion?' She took another drag.

'Uh yeah, but is there a fire going or somezhing, I smell smoke.'

'Oh that's just me, Ah took it up after the city got blocked off.'

'O.k.' He shook his head ruffling long hair and snorted.

'Any way a bomb hit in Bayville it was some sort of magnetic thing, it fried some local electronic stuff but the institute is ok. It did weird stuff to me and Bobby we were at the store and it affected our powers.'

'How? You don't look so different.'

'I cant see very well in the day, but perfectly after dark. At night my eyes ... uh well, used to glow red and scare people in the institute.' He was obviously depressed about his vision but went on despite it.

'I also grew claws,' he presented them proudly she hadn't notice before. They decorated every finger with sharp pointed ends.

'Logan also says if I work on it my nose will be quite useful.' dust fell from the ceiling as the boards above creaked.

'Professor-X said he wouldn't be able to contact me for long today,' Kurt scratched his head with a claw,' but he said he'd call around 7 zhis morning.'

'Uh, I asked him to call around 12.'

'Oh, ok.' He ate another stack of three slices of bread. That was normal for him, but she still looked at it different now that she had done it before. Luckily he couldn't see her gawking at him.

'Do zhey have any of zhese night eye covers things.'

Rouge had not been thinking of anything but how odd Kurt looked. She hadn't noticed until he showed how he had changed.

'Sure, I'll look around for one.' She found one on the medication isle.

_;Ah can't believe this is goin on. First these fungus things, next war and finally Kurt.;_ She felt really sorry for him and hoped he was not permanently blind.

_; Kurt is so upbeat because that's his nature, when he can't get away he just doesn't pay_ _attention.;_ She picked out an expensive one, not bothering to read the label.

'Here,' she said placing the contents of the plastic case in his hands. 'Those should work.'

He put them on,' ja, very nice, really soothing.' He yawned and stretched. Rouge turned towards the radio.

'Ah guess we'll hang out here until ya get rested up.' THUD echoed in the shop. She whirled to investigate; Kurt had hit the counter and was asleep. The package on the counter beside him read,

'With New Tranquilizer!'

Jason was walking back to where his prisoner was being held.

_; I'll try this once more.;_ He thought. _; Then if that doesn't work I ought to just let it go and try to follow it. My whole previous idea of explaining things is out of the question.;_

It was five in the morning and Jason was exhausted and al little pessimistic

_; What if I don't find her now and that thing is no help to me?;'_

He would not normally dwell on the negative but this was somewhat depressing. He walked up the road blaming himself and the bum for losing his friend. When he reached the old bench where the old newspaper covered an old sleepy guard he shrugged his shoulders in disgust.

'I should have known.' He strolled over to find his prisoner's escape_. ;Oh no, how did he get_ _away?;_ He roused the bum,

' wake up you old fool, you let it escape!'

The old man looked past Jason to confirm what he said,

'Yep.'

'Anything to say for your self?'

'Yep.'

'Well spit it out!'

'The way I see it, this here creature waited until I feel asleep and then it escaped.'

'Really now,' Jason was not at all pleased, 'well let me tell you how I see it. Number one, you fell asleep, number two, it escaped, number three, you did not wake up and realize.' Next came the extremely disgusting response.

'Yep.'

'Get out of here.' He scowled, 'I will take this back.' Jason picked up his revolver from the bench; it was empty.

'Why you!'

The man drew a knife, 'well, they are worth a lot these days.'

Jason reached into his pocket taking a new bullet out and inserting it into the weapon.

'Dieing is not much of a living; so how about you give them back, aye? Just put them on the other end of this bench.' he gestured with his gun. The man crept forward and finished placing all 5 bullets, then jerked his head off to the side.

'What was that?'

Then screaming, he attacked.

Jason leapt to the right, not anticipating an assault. His attacker reached the surprised man and tried to stab him. The student locked arms with the old man, pushing the knifed hand away from his person. The elder was weak from lack of food and out matched by age, Jason overpowered him easily. He bashed the knife wielder against a street sign knocking him unconscious.

Kurt's tail stuck out straight as a plank and his head perked, something woke him up. He tried to listen,

'Rouge, did you hear zhat?' She was asleep. Someone stumbled towards the shop; he leapt up preparing for an intruder.

Jason clambered through the blocked doorway of the half buried building.

'I'll finally get away from these crazed fools one day.'

_;Zhat's him,_' Kurt recognized the voice immediately as the one belonging to his former captor.

He slumped on the balls of he feet loading his knees in a crouched position and leapt for the entrance. The one time circus performer struck the surprised man with his feet and fell him to the ground, landing on top. Both struggled as Jason discovered the location of his absconded beast, who, unlike him had not a gun in hand. Kurt felt his opponent gaining the upper hand in the test of raw strength and kicked him into a display instead utilizing his superior lower body power and agility.

After permanently disfiguring the Pillsbury Doughboy, Jason cocked the hammer of his pistol ready to end the fight and aimed.

'I hadn't wanted to kill you.'

'Gay, mach, mayn, tog!' 2

BANG!

The room shock with a metallic ringing sound as buckshot ricocheted off of a steel light fixture. All quarreling parties turned in attention.

Jason saw Rouge standing next to the counter holding the weapon angrily.

' Y'all stop your fighting now!' The yell was very commanding,

'both of ya stand up and come over here.' The blind one holding his retractable quarterstaff and Doughboy killer his gun all fell silent on the floor.

'Jason stuff that gun; Kurt close the staff.'

'You know this guy?' each complying patron gaped out in unison.

When they arrived she took either's hands. 'Kurt Wagner, meet Jason Derain. This guy is my brother Jace, Kurt this is my best fiend.'

'We already meet.' the later substituted for a greeting.

'Twice,' added the fuzzy sibling.

Later.

'Do ya think you can fix him?' Silence as the doctor looked at the floor ashamed. 'Well?' she urged him on.

' I...ehr...I'll try.' he stammered out embarrassed for his need to do such a thing.

'You'd better, you owe him more than any of us know.'

'Here,' the resident medic led his patient over to a table. He cleared it and prepped for work spreading the German out for treatment.

'I'll have to remove this.' He took off the sleep covering. Lifting his hands over Kurt's eyes he began; a soft white glow surrounded his palms and stretched across the blue teen's face. In a few seconds, glow returned to eyes and pupils disappeared. Then the emancipated elf rose into the air relaxing and letting limbs, along with tail, hang loosely. Scares healed and bruises returned o their natural state. The glow stopped letting him down on the table as slowly as he lifted.

'He'll be out for a wile the, damage was extensive but,' he held a single shining hand over the fur covered mutants head.

'He will be able to see normally at night and will be farsighted in day.'

'What exactly happened that night you bashed him up?'

Jason shrugged, 'I came in following you, a while after you actually came in, and found the, um.. what's his name here. Well he started going on about how he was your brother and all this crazy stuff and well, I didn't believe him for a second. I turned a light on him so I could see who he was and it paralyzed him.'

'Why?'

'I guess I didn't want to take chances, you know I do not take unnecessary chances.'

Jason was half informing and half justifying the whole event he accounted. Rouge saw it a little, but let it blow over for all their sakes.

_; Blue boy won't be a happy camper when he wakes up that might start a fight or two. Unless?'_

Hank was not being served but waited patiently anyway. The terminal was crowded and he wanted to board his flight or get a different flight. Finally a service attendant produced himself from the room connected to the desk.

'Can I be of service to you?' The clerk asked politely.

'Yes,' he replied noticing the help's spiked hair. For some reason the man was not affected by his appearance in the least. 'I would like to know when my flight will board, if it has not already.' He handed over his card and the indifferent man read the flight number.

'You'll board tomorrow at about three thirty depending on circumstances.'

'Circumstances?' Hank had flown a few times and never herd someone say that before.

'Yeah,' the man stretched around the counter in order to read the card.

'See this flight is canceled today and your ticket is valid for the next flight tomorrow afternoon. I hate to tell you mister McCoy but you probably won't have a chance to get a seat on that flight' He leaned over onto his fist.

'It is fully booked and the only seats available will be contested by everyone on your flight, because the war and all. My advice to you would be to get your ticket refunded and book a later flight, waiting around for every flight tomorrow is really a waste of time.'

That was the last flight in a week and Hank knew it_,; drat;_ he cursed his luck to himself.

'Oh well, thank you very much anyway.'

'Next!' The oddly styled clerk called behind him, as Hank walked towards the refunds and exchange desk on the other side of the airport.

_; Sure spoke good English for a foreigner, ugly too._; thought the dimwitted attendant_,; some people are so weird.;_

'Returns,' read Mr. McCoy, he strode towards the service area. The woman, who was supposed to be attending it, had her back to the desk lazily. She wore long earrings and a huge stack of hair that resembled pancakes with syrup. When Hank got her attention he disturbed her fingernail whitewashing.

'Excuse me.' Turning to face the blue man in a suite without looking up from her hands, the woman recognized his presence.

An elongated 'yea' greeted him.

'I would like to exchange my ticket for a refund please.'

'What flight number.'

The mutant searched his mind, luckily it was still in short term memory.

'Thirty four nineteen.'

She punched in the numbers, mechanically sacking her gum.

'I'll need your ticket.' He began to look himself and realized it was neither in his front pocket or the back.

'Hold on, I know it is here somewhere.'

'Take your time darling I have all day.' The woman said rudely.

Beast was appalled,; _how can she be so unforgiving?;_

'Madam I assure you...' That was all it took the three hundred pound clerk went off on him.

'Listen fella' I, I,' then it happened, she looked up at Hank. The pink gum fell from her agape jaw. Her shaking hands knocked over the bottle of polish, concealed from Mr. McCoy by the fake granite desk, which proceeded to stain her pants.

'I believe we were just exchanging my ticket of a refund, weren't we?' The petrified woman mouthed 'yes sir', as he handed her his ticket and she complied, eyes transfixed on him. Hank thanked her, took his money, grabbed a kennel and walked happily away.

;_I Suppose I should call a cab.;_ He reached the taxi-waiting terminal and sat on a bench. Taking out his pocket book and reading glasses Hank began to finish Mac Beth for the umpteenth time. No one else sat on the bench; no one dared sit on the bench next to a two hundred pound blue gorilla. Until a young blind woman found her way over. Beast moved his things to the side allowing her ample room to sit. He greeted her and continued reading. She returned it and started conversation.

'The weather feels cool again; are the autumn leaves nice her in New York?' Looking up from his book again he observed them.

'Not being a native I can't testify about previous years but they seem rather dark red now, soon to shrivel as winter will be here very soon.'

'I'm glad the benches aren't as crowded as the airport

1 one of the best thing I ever wrote. 2go ahead, make my day.


	4. Back seat driver

Dear faithful readers.

My return will no doubt inspire your minds for more of my disturbed story. Well I hate to disappoint you but this is nothing compared to chapter 2. Those of you who read it know why. As far as comedy goes this is an entertaining one so happy, funny and otherwise enjoyable reading.

"These are the times that try men's souls!" That was said in reference to chapter 2.

I own not (don't own): Pillsbury, Harley Davidson motorcycles of any of their affiliates, Clorox Bleach,

Spiderman and other marvel characters, the concept of police officers eating donuts, the idea for vacuumed sealed bread and the ideas for a magnetic wave weapon/ warhead.

CHPT 4

Logan shifted gears on his Harley Davidson motorcycle.

_; Been only a couple of days since we left on vacation, some vacation.;_

Charles had given the staff some time off, but the war had other ideas.

The road was checkered with cars ahead all heading towards New York.

Most were from Bayville or cities around it; leaves littered the road almost as much as the cars. When he finally reached another vehicle traffic was at a crawl.

'I hate big city life.' he mumbled; launching the special cycle into 'off road' and speeding down the shoulder. After a few minutes that too became a lane of desperate motorist.

'Fine,' he said to the traffic in general 'let's check out the median.' wiggling between an s.u.v. and station wagon he reached the grass covered center; which thirty minutes later also was a road its own.

'I don't like this.' He murmured once again; when he did not like something that something would not be around too long.

'We'll just try the other side.' Now crossing the almost empty highway, he headed for the shoulder on the road going the other way. Riding against traffic he soon achieved optimal speed.

_; Only thirty minutes till pick up_.; Logan tapped the side of his helmet activating a c.b. radio.

'Hey Chuck, e.t.a. thirty, over'

'Fine Logan, how is New York?'

'Just peachy.'

'Very well call back when you have him, Xavier out.'

A lone cop was having a slow day trying to complete his ticket quota.

'People just aren't speeding like they used to.' He muttered from his car that was hidden behind a billboard. Then Logan passed right in front of him going the wrong way doing eighty miles an hour.

'Whoa' He spun the car after the X-man.

The flashing lights in Wolverine's mirror gave him an unexpected call.

'Pull over,' ordered the loudspeaker.

'Like I can pull over past the shoulder.' He noted the irony of such a thing. Logan slowed letting the cop come up beside him.

'Pull over!' The amplified voice blared in his ears. Lifting the visor on his helmet he responded mocking the policeman.

'Where to bub, this is the side of the road already.'

'Just stop them,' the crackling voice answered. Both vehicles came to a halt; the cop exited his car and produced a mini tablet.

'Let me see, I got you for: speeding, driving on the shoulder, driving in the wrong lane, driving the wrong way up a highway. Doing possibly distracting things while driving, use of cellular device while driving..'

'What?'

'Speaking to an other motorist while vehicle is in motion and resisting arrest.'

'Wait,' Logan challenged,' using a cell phone! How do you figure that?'

'Well I picked up a shot call on civilian radio frequency and...'

'Not so fast wise guy, you discovered that unlawfully without a court warrant of search you can't charge me on that.'

'Oh yes I can.' The officer insisted under statement 1223 section C it says..'

'I think if you in look section 1646. Article A in the dopey little manual in your glove box, they canceled that last year.' The policeman once busted was now really going to give it to this guy.

'Still..'

'I think the other motorist I spoke to was you bub! So don't try that fancy stuff on me.'

Logan leaned against the police vehicle spearing the tire discreetly with one tiny hole after another behind his back. The cop was really peeved this time.

_; I'll get this guy eventually_.; He surmised to himself.

'Resist..'

'Listen bub,' Logan growled,' resisting arrest is when I mop this entire highway with you and hang ya out to dry. Then I use you as a rain cover for my Harley after you get the gears out of your teeth when you eat this car! So if any stupid cop like you wants to get me up on resting arrest, go right ahead!' 1

Reaching for his keys the officer warned,

'ok fella' but you'll be sorry.'

Metal scraping metal sounded as the officer lifted the trunk; then the motorcycle started as the cop rummaged through his trunk to find his shotgun.

; _Where is my ammo?; _

SSHHHIIINNNGGG, CLANK, CANK, CALANK, DOOOOON, DONK.

Went the car just before Logan jumped on his Harley. The cop fumbled the gun out and loaded it. Logan was gunning it in the other direction. The officer took aim at his absconding speeder and fired, but was thrown off by a loud crackling from his car. Officer Grasper leapt into his vehicle to begin pursuit but it failed to start. He grabbed the radio and felt a lack of cord, it had been severed. The out side the car looked as if only half done at an assembly plant. The mudguards were gone, tires blown out and dislocated from the axle. The hood was off and the officer gasped in horror covering his eyes and then peeking through his fingers at the atrocity, which struck him with terror and rage simultaneously. His donuts were burning on top of the car's smoldering grill attached to both sides the Cadillac's battery.

'No, no!' He yelled hopelessly as his most important piece of equipment burst into flames. By now eager zealous tourist snapped pictures of the wasted officer and his combusting snacks. Local news, which was covering the huge amount of traffic, caught the donuts half way burnt and kept the camera on until they were reduced to ash.

Logan went on his very merry way undisturbed.

Kurt woke up around midnight, yawning he stretched like a big cat.

That was usual so was washing he face first thing and doing more inhumanly possible forms of locomotion.

; _It's a good zhing they moved all that rotten meat and other food, it really stunk in here.;_

He foraged around for something to eat and found snacks and canned fruit. He probably should have ate more of the partially molded vacuum sealed bread but decided carrots were just as good most were sprouting or rotting but he was so hungry he didn't care so much food was rare in this part of town.

'I must have been very tired to sleep in so late, this will upset my schedule.' Jason stirred unable to sleep and spoke carefully to his one time enemy.

'When did you plan to get up?' Questions were an easy way to try a peaceful conversation.

Kurt was surprised by Jason even speaking to him, he whipped around to see Jason bathed in red.

Then he noticed he could see, Jason noticed too.

'Oh, normally go to bed around six and get up about four. I'm sort of, what do you call it, eh, nocturnal. By the way,' the patient shifted uneasily on his long feet, a danke for patching me up.'

'Well, for obvious reasons, you don't owe me anything.' The secret healer sat up on his bedroll.

' I am truly sorry, err, Night crawler.' He hung his head blocking the glowing eyes from sight.

'If you can ever forgive me, I would be grateful.'

Kurt did not know what to say, he looked away leaving the student in his peripheral vision.

'Well,' he paused for a long while, trying to think of something friendly he could say that expressed his feelings.

'Maybe that can be arranged.'

Rouge turned over and stopped listening pleased.

Later, Kurt was bordered, so he listened to the radio and tried to use a payphone that didn't work.

Jason gave up trying to get a normal night of sleep around six. He decided what route the group should take into the better part of town. His hairy companion was chewing on jerky thoughtfully looking at nothing, or so it seemed if pupils followed the heads vector.

'What time would you like to leave Jason?' sounding his name in French pronunciation.

'When are you up to it?' Jason being an organized person in the short term always tried to keep everyone on the same page.

'I'm up past my shlofn' 2 time today already, so it doesn't matter.' The fluffy mutant shook his head scolding himself and lowered his tail jocularly.

'Well I guess, whenever Rouge gets up. 'He had to give her a chance to sleep after all she went through the night before.

'What about on zhe road.'

'Yeah I like to travel on the road, it is a lot safer, gangs and such don't attack you very much.' Jason had missed his intent so Kurt rephrased the question.

'I mean after we leave the city; it is a long way to New York State.'

'We are leaving the city, I had not planed on that.'

'Stupid me, I never told you.' His tail whipped back and fourth silently in a mesmerizing fashion.

'Professor Xavier will have us come at once to his institute.'

'Who is this professor?' He had heard of a mutant haven in upstate New York and never thought much of it.

'The professor is a very nice man, he helps mutants cope with the world and teaches them to use their powers.'

'Are you sure you would like to go that far away?'

'Yes I've been with him since high school, my sister was also there last year before she started Hopkins.

'The whole reason I'm here is to bring her and any other mutants I find back to him.'

'For you, coming in and out of the city is a much easier process than for me and your sister; just how do you propose we get out.'

'When I came in there was a tall wall,' Kurt held his head like the thinker. ' I threw up a rope climbed it and climbed down the other side. Could you do zhat?'

'Ah'm sure if he helped us we could, right Jace?' Rouge had woken now and it seemed to Jason she also wanted to leave.

Not that he wanted to stay he just didn't like the risk involved. The city was quarantine well for a reason. Most people who tried to escape were killed and those who lived never lived for long. Lead poisoning was the primary cause of deaths.

'It would still be hard to get over, there is a higher chance of them seeing us..'

'But if we take the proper precautions, and use their disadvantage to correct our own.'

'Ah think we have to try.'

Seeing he had no chance to argue Jason just nodded to show he complied.

Even later.

'Let's see we'll need Clorox.' Kurt was making a shopping list for items the group needed.

'Dish detergent, one with lost of warning labels.' That struck Rouge as odd what was her mischievous brother up to.

'Kurt, why do you need that?'

'Don't worry,' he smiled slyly, 'you'll find out soon enough.' Jason just shrugged, Rouge was unsure and deiced to watch her sibling.

'Small pots and pans: dishware, umbrellas, and food, lost of food, a tent.'

His list went on through another page of paper and burnt out a pen. After gathering everything all they could do was wait.

10 JFK

Logan read on the interstate sign.

_; Been a long time_,; he thought,; _Haven't flown in years. Much less go to the airport_.;

When he arrived the airport was excessively crowded with foreigners trying to get back home. Loads of people were waiting at the entrance.

Wolverine scanned the crowed.

_; You would never think a huge blue guy d' be hard to find.;_ Then at a taxi terminal he saw Mr. McCoy on a bench reading. He walked over 'Hank.' The Shakespearian fan was not startled just surprised to see him.

'Logan, what brings you here?'

'I'm pickin you up, Chuck sent me, they are about to cancel all flights, and he had a feeling you wouldn't get a seat.' Beast closed his pocket book and stood,

'Thanks.'

'I see you made a friend,' now directing his attention to the blind woman who sat with Mr. McCoy.

'Pleased to meet you Ma'am.' Logan tipped his hat cordially.

'Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?' She asked head unmoved since she sat.

'Logan, Ma'am, just Logan.'

In the night an unidentified shape crept through a city street. It stopped to sniff the scents in the air, that smell was one of men powder and gasoline. He took out large parcel and placed it on the wall, then ran. Minutes later an explosion rocked where he had just been; guards came rushing and a hummer motor sounded in the distance. The soldiers looked but no one was there, although there would soon be someone a few miles down. Kurt watched, letting himself rest from his running. Then gathering his strength and courage tried to convince himself he was about to port. He had not ported in a month and a half; he had been too hungry and thin to even try. He thought of where he wanted to go and BEMFFE, he was gone. He appeared in front of Jason and Rouge who waited nervously after the attack.

'It vorked, my bomb was amazing, there is a hole in the wall.'

'Good, so now we can escape, right?' Rouge held her cigarette bellow her waist.

'Ja, sure, let's go.' He leapt towards the wall that stood some thirty feet. Producing a grappling hook he tossed it over the fortification letting it catch then checked it.

'I'll go check it.' The glow of Kurt's eyes was the only way to tell where he stood. His claws scratched against the wall while he climbed up the concrete surface. In a few seconds he was on top motioning for his friends to come up. His sister started huffing and puffing all the way up; halfway, she looked down, that was a mistake. She froze dangling twenty feet up transfixed on the small image of Jason beneath her.

'Come on,' her fuzzy brother urged, 'you can do it.'

'Rouge don't look down, look up, look up.' Jason saw what had happened to her, 'keep going, keep going don't worry about it.'

Rouge couldn't look away; the ground loomed close but so far down. She felt helpless and clung to the rope, which seemed her only way to be safe.

;_On no_,; she thought ;_Ah can't fall, no Ah'm not gonna fall. Ah'm gonna die instead_.; Then a huge black shape covered her vision, startled she tried to look up. It was warm and soft and wrapped around her head.

'Guys, somthin's got me.'

'I have got you,' the owner of the tail answered in his German accent.

' Pull on the rope.'

'Ah can't Ah'm too scared.' She felt a push from below on her foot.

'Feet on the wall,' Jason said.

'Yes, yes,' Kurt agreed. 'Feet on the wall,' the doctor started to chant, 'feet on the wall.'

The German joined in, 'feet on zhe wall.' She put one foot on then the next and started to climb. ;

_You can do this,_; she told herself. Step after step Rouge went until finally reaching the top.

'Sit here, don't look down.' Her brother ordered, then helped up the last of their group.

Kurt secured the grappling hook going the other way and Jason started towards it.

'I'll go down first,' he declared clambering down the other side. Rouge followed him and last the neighborhood demon.

The poor gathering of strings they all clung to was not designed to hold all that weight, before or now, and was feeling the strain. Just before he reached the ground, the doctor felt the rope go limp.

'Uh, oh.'

All came crashing to the ground. Jason having not very far to go was virtually unaffected, until he broke his plummeting best friend's fall. Kurt was hanging from the wall's top and jumped into a nearby tree.

'Are you all ok,' was the common question from everyone.

'I'm a little stuck in zhis tree, but fine.'

'Ah fell, but am fine.'

'And I'm ready to leave once you get off me.' Jason's remark made everyone laugh.

'We should really be quiet.' Kurt suggested as he hung from a low branch by his tail. It cracked and he fell to the ground; this time everyone laughed quietly. Gathering their gear and themselves the group left.

Logan sniffed from atop his Harley; the wind whipping his leather jacked seemed to not interfere. Something wasn't right the smell in the air gave way to impending doom. The dog in Beast' kennel barked uneasily and then rapidly.

Logan pulled over on the empty highway but the passengers did not get off.

'What's up?' Logan simply asked the now girl in the animal cage.

'That smell it's,' He cut her off before she could finish speaking slowly.

'Yea, it's an i.c.b.m.'

Hank now had rearranged his tie and was listening. 'Oh dear, is it heading our way?'

Logan looked at Wolfsbane who looked at Hank who looked at Logan. Then breaking the chain Logan looked at the sky.

'See that streak there.' His finger gestured upward, 'it is a few minutes old, came in low, that's why we're picking it up now.' Logan twitched his head and revved the motor, hair sanding on end. The vehicle speed away and the driver swore a few colorful words. Beast was appalled, used to it but not in such close proximity to himself.

'I'm sure your wonderin so I'll tell ya, look up at the sky again.' Hank did, nothing happened. Wolverine sensing this just told him.

'Ya can't see it, but there is a little dot in the sky it's commin here real fast.' Wolfsbane stuck her animal head out of her box and opened her mouth. The high-speed getaway was perfect fun for a dog.

'Will we make it out of range in time?' she called to Logan now in her werewolf form so she could speak.

'Depends on how close it lands to here and how soon'

'Try now, really close.' She whipped back to face him after checking. Logan slammed the breaks and gracefully stopped, graceful for him meaning no one was injured at least.

'Hit the dirt!' He called as the projectile slammed into the ground a few hundred yards behind them. All dropped down trying to find cover, but there was no time. Wolfsbane was the only one scrambling to escape a huge explosion that, to her, seemed imminent. A few seconds and still the weapon failed to go off. Each trying to hold on and stretch its place in time becoming the trigger to detonate the warhead. Nothing. Mr. McCoy stood,

'Well I suppose it was a...'

BBLLAAWOOONNNGGG

The missile discharged a wave of energy heaving the courageous one to the ground. The burst drowned the sound of cars on the other side of the interstate and terrified their occupants. After a few moments of caution Logan sat up.

'You o.k. Hank?'

'Yes,' the optimist stood wearily this time half expecting another eruption form the bomb.

'But unless I am wrong, I think we're walking.' Mr. McCoy was right, the blast most assuredly wasted Logan's transmission. Wolfsbane came up morphing back into a human.

'Well I guess we should start.' She suggested. A thick blue mist descended on the threesome much to their displeasure, except Hank.

Later walking was getting boring and the wolf girl found entertainment through pestering Logan. Questions were a pathetic way for most people to pass the time and she was no exception.

'How far is it?'

Wolverine rolled his eyes discretely. 'Bout an hour, maybe an hour and a half. We have to cross a bit of land.'

_; Poor Logan, having to answer all those questions_.; thought Beast,; _poor Wolfsbane, that she has to stoop so low to stay entertained.;_ He continued _;poor me, I'm thinking of all this.;_

Then the motorcyclist sniffed and announced.

'There're two people up ahead we'll catch up soon.' Both less sensitive noses looked into the horizon, but saw nothing. And the pair appeared in time, one man and one woman walking together. After a few seconds the man turned and noticed the group behind him. He mentioned it to his friend who turned to see them also.

'Let's catch up,' suggested Wolverine, 'I hate it when people look back at me like that.'

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

'Is that the guy on the news?' Miss. Watson asked her classmate.

'I think so; he speaks at those mutant hearings.' Peter looked at the floor. It would be nice to see Xavier's team, but he didn't look forward to another talk with the institute leader.

_; After all, I'm not a mutant. Never have been, never will be.;_

'Wow small world. Hey Peter, you should join up with them.' Her eyes got that look of persuasion. Parker knew that meant she would nag him and insist he get involved.

'I, I can't It's just not for me.' Peter mentally hung his head and physically sighed. Predicting the oncoming 'discourse' on the topic of being outgoing from Marry Jane.

'Well, you're Spiderman, come on, see a link there.' She intertwined her fingers expressively.

'Don't they all have some sort of powers too. You'd fit in just fine.' She reached to put an arm over his shoulder persistently.

' I heard he looks for people like you and puts them up. Come on Pete, at last tell them who you are.'

'No it's not right, it would be deceiving. I'm not really a mutant, just a souped up normal person.'

'But you could pass for one couldn't you.'

'That's why I can't. He's such a nice guy even if he knew I lied he would take me in. He thinks I am a mutant now, but I don't want to get into specifics.' He shifted the weight in his pack. Life was so simple in New York at least as far a city life went. Peter almost never saw the x-men.

' Once he tried to get me to join his team.' Parker refused to look back the rest of the time and M.J. dropped the subject for a while. It isn't exactly the polite to be speaking of someone in front of their faces.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Beast was not surprised to see other people walking, but it was strange still. The whole highway immobilized and on foot was quite a sight. Most headed for New York, that was a mistake. The huge city had no power and would soon be chock full of looting and murder.

_; If only our people made use of common scene.;_ He felt sorry for the social Darwinism soon to take place across the country. Starvation was sure to be the first problem, and then mass death assisted by the approaching winter. Other unpleasant thoughts reared their ugly heads as the two factually members and student neared their fellow travelers.

END CHPT 4

1 That was awesome. That line was worth the whole chapter if In do say so my self.

2Sleeping in german


	5. The Start of a Long Road

Took a little long to update due to my other story. Please look for it here in the evo area.

Lots to read now, I know it's kind of big. Thanks to those who review.

BlkDiamond

Lady Shalafa

Ice AngelWings

(I finally got around to doing that. Hurray for me!)

Things to do people to see I tried to clarify who is speaking more and really went after the idea in my other flick. You people must tell me these things. Understanding a story is essential to enjoy it. I want my writing to be understood so if anyone has any questions please tell me I am more than pleased to answer them.

The school year will start soon and I will be more restricted in my writing time. Never the less I shall continue to update through out the school year thanks to a lot of plot and concept stuff I have finished. Although it will most likely be less frequent.

Thanks for reading!

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Logan sniffed of the couple ahead of him.

_; Something doesn't smell right.;_ He took his hands out of the pockets of his brown leather jacket.

'Hank, one of those people up ahead isn't human.' The ex-professor gave him a puzzled facade.

'Are you sure?' he whispered in return, Wolverine glanced back with a, ' are you asking superfluous questions again,' look.

' I'm positive.' he curtly affirmed.

'Oh, oh,' Rahne burst out excitedly, 'I know who that is Mr. McCoy, it's Peter Parker.'

'Who?' Hank and Logan both echoed.

'Peter Parker, he takes pictures of Spiderman and other mutants in action.'

'It would seem the man's a celebrity.' Hank seemed to be providing rolling commentary; Wolverine was unimpressed.

'Sure, everyone who reads the Daily Bugle sees his pictures, epically the Spiderman ones.'

'Oh,' Beast stated understandingly. He read the Bugle many times but never noticed any professional images of the big apple's guardian angle. Although front-page headlines always covered him the articles were blatantly bias and accusing. Many issues weren't worth reading. But the science section was never touched by such rumors and politics. And being the only part of any paper he consistently read.

'Hey Mr. Parker!' Wolfsbane had caught up with the couple and was ecstatic to get Peter's autograph.

'Could you sign this?'

----------------------------

_; Well here they come, I hope no one recognizes me_.; Peters hopes were soon to be rewarded. A girl rushed up and referred to him by his normal name. She was asking loads of questions about his photography and praised him for his work in the papers. It was down right pleasantly surprising. He was all too happy to inform her and asked a few questions of his own. But, as was inevitable, the very topic he never wanted to discus was formed again.

'How do you get all those great pictures?'

'Uh... well ...'

He was caught, running out of things to say Parker would have to come clean or come really close to it. Mary Jane looked at him if she would've had a mental cattle prod that would be it.

'I... you could say...I know Spider Man.' Rahne's eyes grew as big as oranges.

'Wow, no wonder you get so many good shots of him.' M.J. glared at him scolding.

'Come on Rahne, ' Logan put an arm on her shoulder. As she walked off Logan faced the out of costume super hero.

'Door's always open, Spiderman. Why don't you come by and talk to the Professor. You'd be a useful team member.' Peter hung his head,

'I can't...I just can't.'

'Look kid, if somebody's got something on ya we can take care of it.'

'S'not that it's just, I'm not who you think I am, it wouldn't work out.' Wolverine shifted his weight in the large black boots he wore.

'Look bub things are gonna get really bad really soon and ya don't wanna be left on your own.'

Spider man was silent and thinking.

'Come on let's go.' Logan half ordered the two and started walking. Marry Jane drug a reluctant Peter after the x-men.

_; Why am I doing this? _; Thought Peter Parker. The once news photographer, once full time super hero, was now a survivalist. A few x-men walked ahead except Logan. The trainer of the largest superhero team said nothing to Parker unless asked, but stayed within asking distance. Unknown to Peter his being there wasn't the only reason for Logan's straggling, Wolfsbane was in front and beast was taking her full furry.

'When will we be able to stop and eat? How many days will it take? Will the professor send someone to look for us since we're so late? How is it like to be blue?' If there was ever a time Logan felt pity for Mr. McCoy it was now.

'We're gonna have to stop before we get there and you'll get noticed at camp.' The older man said.

'Noticed?' ventured Peter.

'Just don't say I didn't warn ya about Rahne.' Parker gulped and looked a M.J.

'It'll be okay Pete,' she assured him, ' I'll come pick up the pieces when she's finished.'

Eventually they stopped and made a simple camp that consisted of Logan's improvised shelters and Marry Jane's stew pot. Beast was attempting to cook but being corrected by the combined forces of Miss. Watson and Wolfsbane. Soon Rahne got bored of rebuking Hank and decided it was more profitable to bother Peter. She leapt over as a werewolf and wasted no time in getting his attention.

'Hey mister Parker how do you get those good pictures of Spiderman?' She asked.

'Well..'

Can you fly?

'N..'

'Are you a mutant too?'

'Not..' The secret superhero tried to answer her but she kept cutting him off.

'How well do you know Spiderman?'

'Very well.' He affirmed and her eyes got huge.

'Are you on speaking terms?'

'Most of the time.' Peter smiled.

'Maybe you could convince him to come see us at the institute? He's so dreamy!' M.J. snickered secretly the cooking fire. Rahne sighed and sat her head on her hands.

'I think he's already involved with someone else and...' He was trying to pad her fall when she would realize he was infact Spiderman.

'If I ever meet...oh gosh that would be soooo cool.'

; I'll have to tell these people some day.; Parker surmised, then decided it best to admit his true identy. 'Here look I guess you should know I'm Spiderman' Wolfsbane Jumped up and squealed excitedly.

'Oh wow, oh wow!' The camp gave a general sigh and Beast complained how Logan didn't tell him. Then Rahne blushed from her previous admissions, but quickly regained her composure. She knelt beside him and grabbed his hand. 'Is it true you shoot strings from your arm?' She turned it over and sniffed it. Peter was getting wired out and her excessive chattering was testing his nerves. When she further inspected his web glands with her face he sized a golden opportunity. Her chattering was enough to beat any squeal and driving Peter up the wall.

'I wouldn't do that.' He warned the half wolf girl, who was poking the patches on the bottom of his wrist.

WHAP a bunch of sticky rope hit Wolfsbane in the face. Logan roared with laughter, Marry Jane turned and shook her head grinning and Beast cleared his throat scolding the out of costume hero. The girl tried to remove it but just further entangled herself.

'Hmmm...hhueemmmm.hhuuerm.'

Needless to say the camp was quite quiet that night. Wolfsbane went to bed very hungry and spent the night planning Peter's verbal demise the next morning.

------------------------------------

Days later the group had passed through western Maryland on their way northeast. Rouge took inventory every day; they had only two days left of rationed food. That meant having to get some more soon. But now was not a time to think of worrying things. She and Jason chatted while Kurt scouted ahead, he returned fifteen minutes later.

'There are signs for a picnic area up ahead, maybe we should have a light lunch.' Kurt always thought ahead when it came to food. His teleporting made him hungry not to mention life.

Bout non-teleporting mutants looked at each other grinning then grinned bigger.

'Sure Kurt, we can stop there.' Jason confirmed, 'in the mean time why don't you check the radio.' The machine crackled on as serious news broadcast music started.

'Power was out this morning in many major cities in the us and china, when both countries exchanged electro magnetic warheads, Jane Jifferner has more.' The new anchor came on the air.

'Thanks Mac, missiles striking New York, Salt lake, Los Angles, Portland, and Boston among others, assured those cities to go without electronics today and the president says is seems doubtful we will bring them back online any time soon.' The president spoke clearly on the recording.

'We must stand firm as a nation and defeat the communist threat. My heart goes out to all Americans hurt by the bombings; we may not be able to restore power. Those affected should head to the nearest unchanged site. And..'

'Eeeeeepppp Eeeeeppp Eeeeppp. This is not a test, this is the emergency broadcasting center, a missile is heading towards the Washington district, please inter shelters. This is not a test...' Kurt shut it off and all looked up at the sky, nothing happened.

'Ah guess it's gona' to hit the capital.'

'I am not sure zhese news people always tell the truth.' Jason looked at the sky again still searching for the missile.

'There!' After his yell the others looked up as well. Two little sticks raced through the sky leaving trails of white puffy smoke in their wake. More missiles appeared now but in a different trajectory.

'Are any ours?' The younger sibling asked excitedly covering his eyes form the blinding sun. Everyone could hear the missals roaring like a get.

'The second group, Ah think.'

'Makes since,' the family friend added 'I if we watch we'll find out.' Sure enough the second set slammed in to the first causing one to explode in mid air. The other just started to fall, right on top of them.

'What is going on?' The furry mutant who couldn't see well in the day asked.

'Just run!' The doctor called gabbing his classmate's hand and motioning at Kurt. They ran for a few seconds until hearing Kurt call out.

'OUFF, he-looo Mister tree.' Jason looked at her then into the woods where more noises of Kurt hurting himself on the trees were starting.

'Keep going, I'll get him.' He told Rouge and ran back through the woods brushing away limbs. 'Kurt? Kurt where are you?' Kurt was busy ordering but he could have sworn he heard someone calling him.

'Yes I vould like fries with zhat.' He turned the corner to pick up his Ultra Huge Really Really Big Berger. Jason snatched his arm and was dashing out of the store.

'Tank you it was delicious.' He praised the cook while being pulled away. The bomb hit not 100 yards away, the impact sounded and no explosion came.

_; A dud,_; Jason thought, _;or a delayed timer_,; he ran faster. The weapon failed to go off for longer.

'Oh!' Mr. Wagner was coming around. He shook his head back and fourth. It was hard to run and come around at the same time, Kurt was no exception. WWOOONNGG a huge wave swept through the air rustling leaves and blowing a huge cloud of dust. Jason leaped to the ground dragging his companion down with him. The discharge blinded all, epically Kurt, for a few seconds. The wave shook plants and threw unattached things to the ground. Blue dust fell on all and covered anything within the mile. Kurt came to his senses his bones rattled from the inside out, he tried to stand but his shaking body collapsed.

'Ohh,' he complained, he tried again and fell after he raised himself. He was trapped for he moment. Jason sat up slowly, he felt dizzy confused.

'The bomb,' he muttered 'that bomb.' Something blue and hairy was beside him.

' Whoa,' he backed away, 'wired.' A young woman was standing in the woods on the left. He called her over.

'Excuse me miss, can you tell me what just happened?' The girl stared at him then came running. He inched away from the clothed monstrosity again. When the girl reached him he saw her long coat and skunk tuff of white hair.

'You're alright,' she half cheered in a southern accent, 'thank G-d.' She hugged him. Needless to say he was surprised, some random woman was hugging him in the forest.

'Are you o.k.?' He queried not at all understanding her actions. Was she so desperate to see another person? Possibly she tried to warn him when the missile came in and was a little over affectionate to see him alive.

'Ah'm fine it's you who should get a once over.' The girl released him to check for injuries and wiped blue soot off of herself.

'Can you stand?' She asked. Now he was very uncomfortable,

'Yes I suppose, but can I ask, who are you?'

'Very funny,' then she paused uneasily,' you are kidding right.' He shook his head no and her face began to lose color.

'What's the last thing you remember?'

Jason thought back before he fell.

'I remember seeing the missile, running, then hearing a loud noise.'

Now the girl in the green shirt was looking at him fearfully, she was pale anyway but now she looked as white as a sheet. She bit one of her black gloves,

'How 'bout before that?'

Now her fear was affecting him too, he eased himself up and collected his thoughts. There were small gaps in his memory but he had a general idea of where he had been the past weeks. He told her all he knew about living in the infected zone and escaping one night with a girl friend of his who was French. How they were on a date when it happened and stayed together through it all. Now they were days from getting married and traveling to P.A. to find a justice of the peace. The collage girl buried her hands in her face and was silent for a long while. A whimper sounded from the tall grass not far away, it was the Blue man covered in hair he had seen before. The girl lifted her head, it was ...evident she was crying,

'Kurt.'

The noise grew into that of a loud whining dog as she approached. The boy in his late teens was covered with soft hair some five inches long. His face had been trimmed as his hands, tail and large feet. Sharp claws shone in the glaring sun of the clear day on all six fingers and six toes. He looked more a gargoyle or wingless bird than a person. The creature shook violently and showed no signs of stopping any time soon.

'Kurt,' the girl knelt beside him, 'what's wrong?'

The demon in a trench coat gurgled out a few noises trying to form words. He repeated everything several times desperately trying to get some normal words out.

'Mus..s...p...ki...g...gu...to... sss... ay.'

'Take it easy Kurt, try to calm down.'

The girl in green instructed him, she spoke with fright creeping into her voice. Jason looked on at the scene, and tried to figure out what happened. He was with weird people; at least one of them was a mutant.

_; How did I know these people, are they hostile_?; That seemed unlikely,

The girl would have attacked him and not really cared how he was. Where they his prisoners, no they would run.

Relatives? Possibly, but he did not recognize any of them. Where was his friend the French girl who he escaped with? The other girl was trying to get her panicked friend to stand without much success. When she finally stood him, he grabbed her shaking the pair.

They stumbled over to a tree and the blue mutant latched on with all limbs, this seemed to calm him.

'Can't s..s.sstop s...shak..ing.' He said, somewhat triumphantly, finally producing words. Then it all clicked in Jason's mind, what if?

'Hey,' he called the girl and she turned to face him, 'has he had any dramatic experiences before?' The girl shook her head somberly.

'You don't remember anything, do you?'

'What do you mean anything? I remember what I told you.'

'That's not what really happened, you don't remember me at all, we were both in J.H. together don't you remember at all?'

'I very sorry miss, but I honestly don't. I do think, however, your friend is suffering from post dramatic experience syndrome. He needs to be given a emotional dampening injection immediately.' Her attention was split between brother and friend; now that both came together she realized he was right. Of course the group did not have anything like what he suggested, except...

'Alright,' she cautiously stretched the glove off of her hand and reached towards her trembling sibling. Kurt saw it coming, he may have flinched but it was indiscernible between his shaking.

'What are you doing?' Jason was worried the unstable mutant might turn violent if pestered.

'Ah've got to try to help him, maybe Ah can settle him down.'

The touch, although light, burned Kurt like fire; he shirked in pain and fell off the tree. The writhing in his body intensified when she touched him and then all went still. He never truly lost consciousness and regained his composure quickly. For a few seconds he mentally clung to his own personality and memories, attempting to retain his and help his sister keep hers. Rouge collapsed beside him holding her head and fighting an inner struggle. She sat up soon though expecting more trouble from her brother's mind than she had received. She had none of his powers, only some of his memories and no trouble at all from his consciousness. Her powers almost did not work at all. Kurt now snapped out of it and was starting to stand next to the confused girl and lost Jason.

'You o.k.?' she asked her furry friend.

'I think so, but are you alright, your powers did not seem to vork.'

She looked even more dismayed. Her friend did not remember her at all and her brother was constantly getting himself killed. To help it all her powers weren't performing well.

'Ah know, they've been on the fritz for a long time.' Jason was missing his fiancé and was not very comfortable around mutants.

'This is all very interesting, but I really need to head back to my parents house and find my friend.'

'He doesn't remember us at all.' The elder x-man informed her brother.

'Ja, not even a little?' The blue mutant walked around him and crouched sniffing. Jason felt as if his privacy was being invaded, but insisted he knew none of them before and had never seen Kurt. The bloodhound sneezed.

'Everything smells weird, I think it's zhis powder.' He proceeded to sniff around himself and sibling. 'But besides that everything seems normal.' Wanting to change the conversation quickly Jason continued.

' Wait I do recognize you,' he pointed a finger at the collage student, 'I saw you at the dance earlier in the year. 'I remember because you threw a glass of punch in your dates face after he acted like an idiot. Yea.'

She was now, as could be assumed, very perplexed. _; He was the one whose punch got thrown, I threw his glass that's how we met, but he dose not recall that either.;_

'Hey,' she began along process of questioning him about his past. The whole matter went on all day. Kurt got sent away for the parts where Jason had read her diary. When he returned the conversation took a turn for the worse. It was an argument one of the very forceful kind and the topic was defiantly chocolate cake.1 What it had to do with anything their furry friend was not sure.

'Zhis must have been very important; he noted.; Like pancakes;

That all originated when Kitty declared she would make pancakes for anyone who wanted them every morning. So for the first day the whole team signed up. After a week when no one cared anymore, except Kurt he wanted them every day and to try to get rid of him she did everything. They came once burnt, thrice under done and always without eggs. Eventually he stopped eating them and drooped the whole thing, but never truly forgave her. In fact, on some occasions, he plotted to get revenge.

'Well if you don't care why are we even talking!'

'There is nothing to care about that most certainly never happened.'

'Wana bet.'

'Yea lets do that.' Kurt being the uninvolved party thought he could encourage them to brake for the night. He did not step into the fray, rather was drug in.

'Don't you know about when..' His sister began but stopped herself, 'never mind you weren't there.' The discussion continued heatedly until Rouge gave up.

'If you don't remember...' She trailed off unsure what to would do. ;_ What if his memory is out for good?. Then why would he stay with us?.;_ Her brother, on the other hand, was perplexed and intrigued.

'Do you recall how to use your power?' Kurt had some interesting ideas because he was generally uninvolved. 'You could forget I guess?' Jason's brow knotted,

'O.k. this is enough. First you think I know you,' his glance shoot accusingly at the girl, 'and now your telling me I'm a mutant.' He was looking at the German now and was not pleased with these random people trying to convince him he was someone else.

'I don't see any reason to stay if I don't know you.'

'Makes since.' shrugged the high school senior.

'No, you're not really going to leave?' Rouge half pleaded. She did not really want to leave him and hoped he would snap back and regain his memory. But it was not to be so. He left later that day amid her heartfelt pleas, which he let fall on deaf ears. Kurt tried to shake his hand but he waved instead.

'Come on back if you remember us later.' The blue mutant called after him. Jason was heading back to Howard County and would wait out the war at his parent's home. Kurt was generally happy and took Jason leaving as a loss but a tolerable one. His sister on the other hand would need some cheering up.

'So where are we going now, to zhe picnic tables or on past them?'

She failed to answer so he just took her gloved hand and started walking. After a while they arrived at the camping site and Kurt began to have a very marry lunch. He turned on the radio, but it didn't work.

'Vhat's wrong with zhis thing?' He shook it comically then smelled of it. 'It should be working. Unless, it was damaged in the bomb.' He took every electronic device they had and tested each none of it would turn on. 'This could be bad.'

For all he knew he was talking to his sister, but she was still sulking over he lost friend. Kurt still ate happily and spent some time stalking rabbits. They were fun to chase epically when he sent the small animals flying through a vast carpet of pine needles. Then lying perfectly still he waited. A lone jackalope (or that's what Logan called them.) Crawled towards him. It saw his hair that looked like blue grass and the large rabbits like blue grass very much. It began to sniff and proceeded to nibble at the teen's hair. That was what Kurt anticipated, he acted quickly reaching up with both hands grabbed the animal and floored it to the ground. The animal would not give up and kicked fiercely against his chest. Kurt reached the rapidly kicking legs, held them down and used his tail to tie them. The rabbit struggled still, but it was a hopeless fight. Now the hunter stood and grouped the long ears in his hand, then continued back to the tables.

Meanwhile Rouge was very upset and had been sulking for hours. It was such a sudden thing to bear and she would spend a long time adjusting after it. She hated the missile that separated them and the communist who shot it off. The very idea that the event could alter her friend's memory was perplexing. How did he? How could he fail to recall those long times they spent together. The long weeks spent in hiding and scavenging, were now only hers. It felt as if she had been there alone during all those experiences; even though she knew it had not been the case. Kurt wanted to cheer her up and was coming her way with a rabbit. Its abnormal size was not nearly enough to even spur her conversation. She felt like a family member was lost and didn't want to speak to any one. That would be respected by Kurt, once he realized. After giving up he crawled over to another bench and curled up under it. Tail flipping to and fro as he slept. She watched the sky looking for answers no one ever finds when they want them. She needed something to go on and had it. Thankfully the professor was gathering his students back to him, and her brother had come for her. It was probably all keeping the girl from a nervous breakdown. She continued to miss her friend until the German messenger awoke around six p.m. 2

'What's for dinner?' The blue mutant asked sitting up on the table he had been under and stretched his tail.

Thirty minutes later beans and vegetables simmered over a fire that Kurt poked excitedly. He sat places on the table his sister was at and served as if rabbit was a fancy meal. The meal was good sized because the entire rabbit had to be eaten that night before it went bad.

'The mansion got made over really nicely,' he thought remembering the professor might help her.

'My room is twice as big and all mine.' He paused in case she would question him about the institute, then went on. 'Since we moved there is lost of land around Logan Scott and I are building a wall round the whole thing, it'll be huge when we finish.' Finally her interest was sparked and she involved herself in the one-way conversation.

'Who's still around up there?' Now Kurt had an angle and was quick to respond.

'Jean: Scott, Logan, Hank, Bobby, Ororo, Jamie, Rahne, Amara and me. Zhe others went home their parents brought them back. They were afraid their kids would get hurt and came to pick zhem ..uh… them up.' When Kurt was conscious of his mispronunciation he tried to correct himself. Some parents called every day just to make sure their kids were o.k. even before the war. Obviously these parents would come at the soonest sign of disaster to grab their children.

'Figures.' Rouge shrugged, 'how 'bout Bobby, Ah would think his folks came for him?'

'Nine,' he slowed showing it was a sensitive matter,' they got killed in an attack.' Silence neither said anything because there was nothing to say. The sudden lack of noise grounded reality to a halt.

_; What if the others parents also...?;_ her mind trailed off leaving emotions to fill the rest in.

'What happened to the students was sort of funny now looking, back on it. We all started to get the land working about a month before the war began. Logan was taking charge of what he called 'living by yourself education'. It basically meant we had to farm all day, without tractors too.'

The idea was in fact a very funny one indeed, to see Mr. McCoy in a straw hat, chewing sweet grass, or Scott potting plants. But she could imagine how unbearable Kitty's whining about the work every night, before Logan threatened them with more the next day, could be.

'Why farmin?'

'The Professor seems to think it will be valuable in a year or so, Logan agrees with him all the way and more. Lots of work to plow a field by hand.' Logan's new program was never an anticipated event, as it usually entailed harder work and very much elbow grease. The program was a mixed blessing because, although rough, the training came in useful in a fight.

The early night was spent walking on; Kurt liked to travel after dark. Rouge complained for the umpteenth time she couldn't see. It was standard for her to complain if she was trying to concentrate on something else.

'What do you want me to do, zhis is the safest time to travel.' Although it was hard for her to see, the lack of light made it hard for bandits to see also.

'Ah can always hold on to your tail, so Ah don't get lost.'

'Fine,' Kurt interrupted annoyed, you do that.' Previous memories of her baseless threats convinced him it was his chance to call her bluff. He turned and wrapped her hand with it being careful not to touch any skin; even tough her powers weren't working full capacity.

'Hold on and keep walking the way I pull, ja.' She did, following his lead was not what she had in mind though. During the next few minutes she considered how to get back at him. He had thoroughly busted her that time and revenge would not be anytime soon if Kurt could help it. But she had other ideas.

'So how are we getting there anyway?' He half expected her to ask that just to annoy him, but Kurt wouldn't let it bother him in the slightest.

'Once we find the Appellations we can follow the interstate up to New York and from there it is very easy.'

'Oh,' Rouge kept up with as many more questions as she could think of but it was no use. Then stopping to yawn she took up all the slack in her brothers tail and rushed foreword so as not to throw him off balance. ; That's it!; She plotted out the perfect scenario to pester her sibling to stop.

A little later Kurt was feeling a bit uncomfortable having someone hold his tail and all, but was more pleased at the fact his sister was subdued from her complaining. A sudden jerk set him jumping into the air, she had yanked his tail to get his attention.

'Kurt can we stop now it's nine o' clock and Ah'm about to fall asleep?'

_; Oh she has done it now,;_ he angrily decided, ;_I'll walk her on all night.;_

Calming himself he responded. 'Ehh no, I think we should try to go on until around midnight.'

'It's just Ah'm falling asleep and,; she yawned again for more effect. 'Ah'm not sure how long Ah'll last.' Minutes later she stumbled purposely snagging his tail and jerking him back a few inches. He saw through her scheme but for the sake of his aching tail let her have her way. Many people would not have given in so easily but then again, many people didn't have tails. During their stop Kurt wanted to scout ahead.

'If we're not going on tonight I'll go look where we will travel tomorrow.'

'Why would you do that?' The blatant question startled him.

'Why not just find out tomorrow? We'll still walk there anyway.'

'Because there is nothing for me to do at night.' Kurt scanned the camp lazily showing his disinterest.

'Ah forgot you're nocturnal, sorry.' He never thought it insensitive to overlook such a thing epically such a unique property. His opinion had not changed when she said that either.

'It's, well, I don't enjoy listing to mutant watch on the radio every night.' With that he leapt away into the back abyssal void most know as night. For the few like him it was the same world but with different people, different animals, everything different, yet simultaneously the same.

Rouge tried to sleep, but now alone the thoughts of Jason's leaving seeped into her mind once again and a lone tear rolled down her cheek.

END CHPT 5

1 Yes, yes more random things. 2 Messenger from Professor X.


	6. First Capture

Although I ,ay have neglected my writings for a while, I have returned from my brief retirement and decided that my retirement will have to wait until I actually accomplish something. Here is chapter #6 of my story. If you have any trouble following the strange plot it is not your monitor just my incompetence.

Chpt 6

The night air was still. The trees silent and rocks, well, stone. Shadows indiscernible, light only vesting itself in the star filled sky. A lone noise broke the unmoving world of nocturnal stillness that is a trademark of the forest. Clawed paws opened silently, ears stretched to catch it again; an invisible hunter watched for prey.

A lone man walked uncomfortably down the huge expanse of western pavement; his eyes darted from side to side, unsure of his surroundings. His actions portrayed he was alone and slightly frightened, but for a purpose unknown he was here. Other eyes peered at his with hunger and patience. He was unaware as his stalker inched toward the road ahead of the traveler. Slow short breaths escaped the hunter's lungs masked by footsteps one who was akin to a poor soul walking straight for his ambiguous doom. The roadside hiker strode past, followed quickly by his pursuer in the scrub and brush.

The taping of a clipboard in his hands against various pieces of equipment was loud enough to wake the dead on the empty, silent road. Traveler and follower reached a large rock formation in the side of a small Appellation mountain. The man sped now and strode with confidence as a small smile spread on his face.

The hidden watched, as a cleverly conceived door in the rock was pried open reveling a long lit hall of white walls. The figure stepped in and locked the entrance. Kurt scratched his head thoughtfully.

_; Zhat was definitely not Jason_,; he quickly deduced and wished he could have pounced on the unsuspecting friend of his sister. To see the look on his face would be worth all the grief Rouge could ever hold against him. Now his mind reverted to the oddity that was spread out before him.

_; What was that? A secret hiding place? An underground bunker?_; All were possible but none provable. Then again, did one want to know such things? Some things are better hidden and never exposed. Kurt was curious but had more important things to do, like travel hundreds of miles to another state.

The surrounding land was pleasant and riddled with cover from seeking parties. The babbling of a small creek drew his attention and soon his person. He removed his coat to stay a while. The soothing liquid flowed past and washed away weeks of grime and sweat. Cool as the ground itself and refreshing as mountain air, water was a wonderful asset.

_;Ahh,_; he relaxed loosening his mules and releasing some of the stress he had accumulated throughout the day. Some call it the water of life for it sustains all; Kurt was finding a new meaning in those words. _; How do people do it?,;_ he pondered, _;they go their whole life without any of this beautiful country.; _

His question would be answered sooner than he preferred for amidst his therapeutic bathing Kurt heard a, CLICK and a PING. Before he could even turn his head, a sharp dart punctured his skin. It felt as if his neck was touched by a fiery coal. The fluid contained in his foreign attachment spread through his veins boiling the x-man's blood. He tried to react but found his body delaying its response to him commands. For such a dexterous person the shock was much more alarming than for another ordinary human. His arm rose slowly and reached for the troublesome object yanking it out and throwing it. Gravity's pull on the weapon was also reduced as it trickled down through the air on it's way to the ground. Every inch that trudged on towards the inevitable water seemed to mock him, and revealed his drastically altered perception of time. Then randomly out of nowhere, two beings came out of their hiding places. They pushed his arms against his side, produced a white sheet and proceeded to roll him in it like a taco. He tried to react, to fight back, but was too slow. Before he realized Kurt ended up in the possession of the two hunters, being carried down a long white tunnel. He noted the irony of the situation a bit to soon for his liking.

_; I suppose now I'll get to see the inside of this place after all.; _

Kurt passed many doors all of them white and closed with a facade of denial. Different people now carried his zapped body, they ushered over another who cow-tagged his ear with a number. They all wore biochemical suits that hid their faces and added to the fright of the scene. The captors now content at the freedom to put their baggage down plopped their captive down a table. In this small room he was to be examined. The many tools on the wall produced not even a glimmer of hope for the now fearful mutant on the bleak bed.

A man entered, his pale face a bore a small smile. Coat swaying he strode over and poked a hairless head at Kurt then into a screen on his wrist. Kurt had seen a man who resembled him before, but was not sure where. He was sure the man's voice could remind him. The leader motioned to his men who slowly lifted up Kurt and parted the fur on his shoulder. The captive student was swabbed, steadied and injected. He watched as his own red blood filled the vile, but didn't feel the pain because of his numbed nerves.

_; They don't seem to be running a catch and release program_.; All of his doubts would remain unanswered until he gathered enough concentration to ask them, but even then it was not assured he would ever know. Kurt was hooked to several machines, which registered little blips and graphs on the hairless man's computer. _; It must be interesting to be bald._: Not nearly as scared as he thought he would be. The man seemed satisfied and closed it shaking his head at Kurt and smiling. He said something and followed his captive who was being carried out of the room in the roll. Waving like a pleased little child finishing a game, he closed the metallic door with a CLINK. The helpless mutant was drug down hall after hall, passing, what seemed to be, myriads of attached rooms. A lone guard clad in black riot gear stood at one of the entrances; he quickly conversed with the men carrying the blue boy. After a short wait all three doors clanged metallically together as they creped opening into the very secure cell. His transporters unraveled the sheet and dropped him to the floor. His slowed body made contact with the hard ground. The door slammed shut after the two uncaring cronies leaving everything black. Kurt's eyes instinctively glowed brighter permitting him to see six meaningless inches past his nose. He closed them and wearily sat up trying to figure out what happened. The world speed around his head, his body was continuing to react very slowly.

_; I'm going to die._; He thought leaning back on the floor, but it a misconception. Kurt was being kept here for a reason other than death and somehow he knew it. He felt for the ground and barely noticed it with his numbed nerves. Following the floor around, his hand stopped at a large protruding shape; it was round and theoretically soft.

_; Perfect a pillow! At least I can get some rest and figure out what is going on here_.; He curled slowly into a ball, tail wrapped around his feet. Then, with the lack of anything else to do, slept.

Jason was pleased he'd finally arrived.

'Home,' He said happily, 'nice to be home.' While strolling down the long dirt road to the large farmhouse, he remembered his encounter with the mutants. ;_It was weird; I never thought that girl was a mutant, though some how I suppose I always knew. Although she was a little strange she could have lead a normal life unlike the other fellow._ ' He remembered Kurt from the bombing and shuddered. _; Suppose people are right, most of them are freaks._ ;

His grandparents' house was located on ten acres of well maintained land, for the most part.

The old door creaked when he opened it; the lights were on in the living room so he came right in suspecting to surprise them. An elderly man with a shotgun popped up from his seat at the dining table, Jason couldn't see him for the shadows but recognized his voice.

'That's far enough! Crazy Americans think you can raid my house aye!' The room lit as his grandmother turned up the kerosene lantern.

'Grandma? Grandpa?'

'Oh Ed put that silly thing down it's Jason.' She was a small woman in a long dress and apron. Her face was wrinkled as were her hands, but she still had a since of fire in her eyes his grandfather assured him had been there since they met.

'Lad you almost meet your maker tonight, I am truly sorry for that. No one to blame but yourself, you must remember your manners and knock.' The owner of the farm stepped into the light showing his overalls and plaid shirt. 'Had a man rob us a few days ago.'

'We've missed you so.' His grandmother exclaimed coming over to hug him, 'I was quite worried.'

Both men were ushered to the dining table and began to eat. Jason told his South African relatives how he escaped and Francesca and himself were so ready to be wed, but to his great dismay he couldn't find her and was hoping she had returned here. His grandfather practically dropped the food from his mouth.

'Boy, you are about to be married?' The elderly man's face twisted further than Jason ever thought possible. Again before the medical student could answer he spoke again, 'to who? Some French girl? My dear grandson, how long have you known her? Only these two months? Don't you thing that's a little soon Marge?' He directed his attention to his wife and made a discrete comment about the French.

'But I've know her for years,' Jason protested, ' we meet just after I started collage and...'

'Son, why didn't you tell us you were so serious about her?' His Grandmother sighed, 'I would have gotten to know her. Surely had her come to us. Boy why not at least let us know you knew her?'

Jason didn't understand, he had spoken many times to his parents and grandparents regarding his friend years ago. Something wasn't adding up here and now his mind was failing to recall everything he had said to the strange people in the forest. After explaining the episode with the bombs, his hosts suggested an insight into his odd recollections.

'Are you sure it didn't affect your memory?' They both suggested.

'I don't think so.' He replied, not realizing how, that if it had, it would most likely be impossible to know.

'But isn't this when those weird people showed up dear?' It appeared to Jason both of his grandparents agreed on the theory he had partial amnesia.

At the end of their meal the middle-aged couple gave him a room he had used in the past and just let him sleep on the whole issue. Jason was determined to find out if what he knew was the truth. He searched his old room for letters, pictures or anything that could prove what was in his memory and he wasn't crazy. Everything either depicted him posing with people he did not recognize or the soccer team who he had nothing to do with. Now that he thought of it, sports weren't such a bad thing to do.

_; Especially if I've just found out I played for two years straight.;_

A lone sealed box lay on his dresser; it was the size of a small shoebox. An emblazed mark read 'A slice of my life.' He opened it gingerly lifting the lid and of all things to see and behold it was a lone, crumbled piece of savagely burnt chocolate cake. There was a letter taped to the roof of the box it contained a highly detailed description of that fateful event. A last blank sheet of paper was protecting a picture of him and a few classmates. He turned the card and read the back.

Class: home economics

Date: 12/1/07

From left to right: Jason, Tabby, Mitch, Monty, Rouge.

His eyes went wide; the last person was the girl in the forest, had he really known her?

_; I must have, because of the picture and this cake. But how is it possible that I could forget so much and then replace it all in my head?; _

When he went to bed that night, there was a book on the bedside table the title read Turn Out Over Again And Again. The teaser on the back told how in world war two a British prisoner of war had to escape a city in eastern France. He paged though it and found he meet a woman working for the resistance. They evaded guards and left the city only to be struck by an allied bomb in Normandy on d-day. Jason leapt up ran downstairs and chucked the hideous literary piece into the wood burning stove, sighing with relief as he watched his false life burn. Needless to say, he slept easier that night.

Rouge couldn't find her brother in the morning. He normally would be sleeping and she had the task of rousing him. She looked under tables and in trees but he wasn't in the vicinity.

_; Perfect, blue boy leaves me stranded on one of has all-nighters_.; She crossed her arms and puffed in frustration at the streak of white hair hanging in her face.

_; But Ah guess it is possible he got lost or hurt._; those were unpleasant thoughts, but they demanded her consideration. _; Either way Ah'll need to wait a while to give him a chance to come back_.; So for the rest of the day she sat there waiting, hoping.

Kurt was being roused, but not by his sister. He heard a THUD...THUD...THUD...THUD

Upon waking he found his head rising and falling periodically. The x-man sat up in a daze, his head spun and he could hear the object he before called pillow. At first Kurt thought he was blind again, but then opened his eyes, he saw his nose but nothing else.

He held up his hand and saw it too, he could certainly see but not very far.

HHMM...

A noise alarmed him; it came from a few feet above where he sat. Perhaps it was connected with the sounds that woke him. Kurt was suddenly grabbed and pulled over someone who turned over. He was facing upwards and on top of that someone. He froze looking toward the floor out of the corner of his eye and exploring his predicament. An unpleasant smell slipped into his nose.

'Eecchh,' he snorted.

It was a mixture of people, animals and everything in between. Damp sweet had soaked parts of the floor in the past and he could sense the vestige of each one. He could even smell blood stained patches of ground, which put him on high alert. The fur-covered mutant sniffed deeper, the way Logan had taught him, trying to discern between individual scents. He found something unique and then realized,

_; If I heard these sounds and... Zhere is someone else inside this cage that's got me.;_

He became perfectly silent and listened. Something was stirring in the corned, but his possessor was breathing slowly and softly. Kurt wasn't sure how big the cage was but it seemed at least a forty-foot square. And in that darkness, he was defiantly not alone. ; _What if zhis something eats you and I'm it's next meal.: _

'Yikess! Hey get a load of that.' A voice jolted the stagnant air of the room giving him quite a shock.

Kurt saw nothing; he doubted if anyone could see anything. But someone had noticed him, in addition to that whatever was under him was waking up. He leapt up dexterously and jumped blindly into the darkness.

'Whoa, what wass that?' Echoed behind him.

'What do you think it is?' A quite high voice queried.

'Iss ssome one there?' The other voice asked cautiously.

Kurt wasn't sure if he should respond or not, they could be hostile. Whatever it was would get him sooner or later.

'I am here.' He answered softly trying not to provoke a harsh response and give away his position.

'Who iss I?' The curious creature seemed to have the floor as no one else made a sound.

'I'm Nightcrawler, who are you?'

'Python, where are you from?' Kurt was tense and looked around nervously.

'The forest.' He backed up carefully and into metal bars. The exchange was going well so far and gave him a chance to retreat.

'Yeah? Any way we're all locked in here together, sso we don't want to kill you.' The speaker paused for a moment letting the last comment sink in. 'Your eyess are the glow we ssee right?'

'Yeah, it's dark in here.' Kurt was continuing to answer them but decided it best to be cautious in case they were in fact hostile. Letting the enemy know he was even slightly visually impaired was a risk in itself; better to keep people guessing.

'Really, we can't see at all, haven't been able to see in weeks.' The girl added in.

'Sseeing your eyess iss spectacular.' The hissy speaker sighed.

'I'm Sammy.' Said the girl eager to join in. 'I like to eat the little hard balls in the food they give us so please don't take them all.'

It seemed there were bigger things to fear and Kurt had just been adopted.

'Six o'clock' Kathy read on her cell phone. She was supposed to be home by seven and right now it seemed there was just enough time to get through the Pittsburgh traffic.

_'That's good now Dad won't be mad at all._' She strode on the sidewalk towards her car letting the wind from each passing car carry her hair. The plastic bag swayed with her step in the normal rhythm of most shoppers. Taking the metal keys from her leather jacket she reached for her car's lock only to be stopped by a woman in gray sweats.

'Here, you dropped this.' The other female ten years her senior stretched out a gloved hand holding a pink comb. The shopper stared at it in puzzlement, because she had never seen anything that resembled it.

'Oh no,' Kathy smiled cordially as brightly as she could. She thought it very nice to be honest like the woman in front of her and that impressed her.' That's not mine, thanks though I really appreciate it.'

'Are you sure?' the other woman drew nearer and pointing the object in debate at her purse. 'I'm positive it fell from your bag.' While drawing her interest to the comb, the mugger reached for Katy's keys, her original intent. She took them and pushed the girl to the ground harshly and quickly, sending her and the sack down with a THUD. However, the shopper was back on her feet before the criminal could open the car. Her father insisted she take self-defense classes last year and it was about to pay off. The car door popped open and the woman rushed inside. Kathy latched onto the frame of the vehicle with one hand and caught the thief by the scruff of neck with the other. Putting one sneakered foot on the seat she swung her body back and pulled the screeching woman from her Honda. Once both were floored, Kathy crawled on all fours for the car trying to stand again. The other caught her leg to pull her back for another assault, she was an armature and not as fast as she could have been, for that the girl was lucky.

_; Some people don't give up._; She thought while readying her knee for a kick. Once, twice, thrice went her foot against the assailant's head finally freeing her foot from the grip of the modern brigand. She sat back against the car resting from the random and shocking experience. A loud noise sounded in the distance, but she ignored it. Just as Kathy stood gasping for air, a large cop clambered around a taxi on the side of the street almost as tired as she was.

'You okay miss? I saw ya get attacked from down the street but my car broke down and..'

'Yeah,' she steadied herself and answered, 'I'll be alright, but I kind of kicked the lady out.' The big man smiled understandingly and looked down at the would be mugger.

' Let me tell you, in all my days of being an officer, the one thing I always remember is what happens to someone like that, is what they deserve.' He bent to cuff the woman, 'you're real brave just don't try to pull a stunt like that again.' The officer brought the groggy woman to his car. While the policeman read Miranda rights Kathy got ready to leave after giving him her information. When she turned the key of her car nothing happened, not a singe sound, even the radio wouldn't turn on. Was her car broken too, just like the cop's?

_; I'll get a cab home.;_ She thought not wanting to deal with any more problems today. Gleaning her purchases from the trunk, she walked to the next road over. Not one car was moving on the whole street. Residents were trying to complain and curse their dormant machines back to life. ; _This is not happening!;_ She crossed the street where a group of people were gathering to get the story from other complainers.

'Why won't my cell phone work?' A junior high boy called to the adults.

'Nothin' works in the whole town kid,' a man told him, 'best to just go on home.' Others in the group were frustrated by the lack of working electronics.

'How long will this last?' One woman asked angrily, ' I have to be in Michigan by ten tonight or..'

An auto body worker interrupted her and took hold of the crowd by standing on a crate.

'Listen up folks, quite down and listen please, it's for your own good.' When he felt it was quite enough after continued shushing, he continued. 'It's not very pretty but this is what's going on.' He used his soiled hands to motion for more silence. 'A bomb hit the city, okay.' A clamor of sighs mixed with gasps flowed through the commoners like a wave of red water breaking at the automotive professional Moses who split it like the red sea with his next remark. 'Power is out! Cell phones won't work, the same goes for cars. Compasses are all shot; so when you leave just use the road sings.'

Another ignorant citizen pressed him to be more specific.

'What'd ya mean WHEN we leave?'

The brim of the mechanic's hat flipped up, he turned it back down again and wiped the grease on his gray body suit.

'We all got to get somewhere where there's working phones and cars. Or, basically, we starve. There's no one coming to help us so we have to help ourselves.'

'But I saw a news report were the rescue teams came into people's houses and helped them out.' Kathy challenged.

'You saw it on TV right?' He affirmed coolly, she nodded in response.

'Well miss, to tape that, the camera has to work.' He raised his voice to remove all doubt from the gathered. 'And that means the rescue was done somewhere that had no power but wasn't zapped.' She walked past the preacher and congregants down the street where houses opened spouting their occupants to flood the streets ands stare at the spectacle America was under.

_; What am I going to do, I've got to call Dad.; _

Drivers stood cursing the blackout by their cars that had been moved to the side for attempted 'repairs'. Kathy looked at her cell phone and it was off and wouldn't come back on, just like the man said. Three men in black hats were riding on a horse drawn buggy down the empty road. As the carriage passed she waved for it to stop.

'Excuse me sir, but are you Amish?'

'We're not,' answered one of the passengers, 'but the driver is.'

'Mister could I hop a ride?'

The man with all facial hair but a mustache sat down his reigns and leaned towards her.

' Where do you need to go?'

'Just away from here.' She pulled the hood of her coat up covering her long amber hair. The man in black looked up thoughtfully,

'That'll do, go ahead, and get on.' She thanked him and boarded. 'You people should never use that stuff,' he murmured against electricity, 'it keeps lots of problems like this away.' The motley crew traveled in silence besides the occasional noise from the horse.


	7. the lucky number slevin

Chapter #7

Kurt was trying to find weak points in the bars of his prison unsuccessfully. Sammy was poking at her tail when he bumped into her.

'Hey you didn't tell me you were furry, I'm fuzzy too.' The girl exclaimed excitedly. She had almost happened on him before. They missed being in the same spot, where each was captured, by ten minutes.

'I can't see you, whatc'ya look like?' Her curiosity surprised him. Having never been asked to describe himself to anyone, Kurt was taken aback.

'I'm blue.' he said still examining the walls.

'Like silk!' The girl marveled, gingerly stroking his arm after finding it, then quickly apologized.

'Sorry, since I can't see, I thought,' Kurt peered into the girl's face or what outline he could see of it. She was in sixth or seventh grade he supposed.

'Don't verry about it.' He assured her. Feeling a little more sorry for her since she was so young.

'You said you're from the forest,' she reminded him, 'I live there too. I guess that makes us neighbors.'

'Yes, I suppose so.' He answered playing the part a little. 'You might say I'm new to the area.'

'Oh,' said the cat girl a bit sadly, ' I was hoping you were my brother.'

'You have a big family.' Kurt tried to make small talk .The bars he continued to examine were almost as hard as steel and didn't seem to respond when he spoke to them.

'Not really, My brother and me got taken from school and to another lab. I was released into the woods and never saw him again.' She sighed and sniffled. 'I always liked cats, but never imagined I'd be one.' Kurt chuckled at the ironic comment.

'Do you like it?' His claws clicked on the concrete floor as he strode along the cage walls. Maybe he could help her feel better about her newly mutated self.

'Oh sure it's fun, but people are scared of me. When I found humans... they...' The girl trailed off into silence.

;_She obviously won't finish because she's been hurt somehow_.; The x-man surmised. He bent over and sat beside her.

'It's okay,' he reached a hand around her, ' you can tell me, I understand.'

Sammy broke down crying in his arms. She was letting it out and that was supposed to happen. He wasn't surprised due to the emotional stress he'd had in the past. Kurt tried to remember things the professor said to him when he had been in the same type of situation. Although he had been older and had his family in Germany to support him when he was young, most of his experiences occurred in overseas. Kurt realized he was probably all the support this girl was going to get.

'They called me a, a, animal...' The cat girl sobbed, 'threw things at me... I ran.. I just ran..' She hugged him tightly and drenching his fur with her tears.

'Got in himmel.' Kurt whispered looking up into the blackness. 'It's alright,' He told the girl clinging to him. 'You will find this hard to believe, but zhe same thing happened to me years back.' He decided it best to tell her a story from his past so she would not feel alone in her experiences.

'My adopted parents always told me never to go outside or stay at the window too long.' He started to rock her hoping she'd retract her claws from his back. 'And every time I'd ask why people couldn't see me. They'd always answer the same answer. 'Because most humans don't understand.'' He paused letting his adopted parents words set in, then added his own philosophy.

' Some don't want to understand, others almost can't and have to try very hard. But a few people are very different, they don't have to understand at all, because in their hearts they already know.' Kurt paused for a few seconds to see her reaction. 'Yeah,' he pressed. The cat girl nodded her head into his ribs; she was small for her age, Kurt wasn't sure if that was part of her mutation or not.

'People like my parents and Professor Charles Xavier are those special people. 'It takes a long time to teach most of the hard to learn people. And until we do teach them we have to stay hidden.' She finally let go and sat down beside him. 'They help hide other mutants and my self until the world is ready. We practice using our powers and help people in trouble. Maybe when we get out I'll take you there, ja?' He saw the outline of her had bob. 'It'll be alright in the end, trust me I should know.' He added jocularly.

* * *

Rouge was starting to worry. Kurt hadn't been back all day and although he was late to things often, this wasn't like him.

; _Should Ah just go on without him?_; She questioned herself, ; _can Ah go on without him? After all he is my brother and he knows how to get to New York._; Kurt was also up to date on the world situation. Where as, she had been locked in a city for weeks. Now she missed Jason more than ever. ; _Why those communist_...; She decided if they ever invaded ; _Ah'll be on the front line_.;

Being alone was bad enough. But being alone in a vast expanse of country unsure where you're going is completely different. ; _But Ah have to try to get there anyway_.; She looked down at her stomach uneasily, ; _Ah won't do any good to anyone if Ah get taken over again or worse._; Rouge shuddered at the thought, recalling her past experience and all it's unpleasantness. She pulled a cigarette from her pocket and sat on the wooden bench, hopefully the relaxation would help. 'Ah can't go on, not without Kurt and Jason both. What kind of a friend does that?' She thought out-load.

'The really bad kind.' A familiar voice answered from behind her. Rouge turned and dropped her smoke, it could wait, everything could wait for her visitor.

* * *

; How can I get word home? That's just it, I can't until I find a working phone. So I suppose Riding here is my best bet.' Now her transport entered the industrial area. A man rushed to the street from a home and flagged the carriage down.

'Please, my wife is in labor you've got to take us to the hospital!' His face was shocked but what made the foursome feel for the man was the desperation in his voice. Sweat poured down his round face and his Asian eyes looked propped open by tooth picks.

'Well,' said the non-technological driver, 'I suppose this is where you folks will have to get off.'

The passengers disembarked and helped the man to carry out the pregnant woman's things before waving after the cart. Now the two men in hats, suit coats and beards; asked directions and said hello, but didn't sake her hand.

She took down her hood and unzipped her coat, walking would warm her up quickly.

The younger one who looked like he just entered high school handed her a card from his pocket.

'Here, these are the seven laws of Noah; after he landed the ark G-d gave them to him for all mankind to keep.'

'Oh,' she took the card glanced at it and placed it cordially in her purse, 'thanks, I think.'

Now she gave the odd pair a once over. Both were unshaven and wore all black, except their white executive looking shirts.

'Are you Mormons or something?'

'No, not at all.' The taller answered quickly. He shifted a bag on it's shoulder straps to his other side. 'We're Jews.'

_: Jews? Here?;_ She thought _Well I guess there are a couple of synagogues across town, but I never suspected to see anyone on the streets dressed like that._

'We're heading to the Chabad house where we asked directions to.' The younger one said while fanning himself with his hat, 'I hope they still have power.'

'I wonder if any large city has electricity now.' The taller was being a little more pessimistic. His dark eyes glazed while he stared thoughtfully in front of them and murmured to thoughtfully to himself.

After that; they walked on mostly in silence still together since they were heading the same way, passing more and more confused people. Yossi told the boy to go ahead and he'd catch up and he stopped to speak with the groups of people. He was certainly an evangelist.

Kathy had read about what people said would happen when a E.M.P. bomb fell, but it never hit home with her. Needless to say, she certainly believed every bit of what the forecasters said now.

It was dark for eight o'clock, but the moon was full so they could still see a little. A lot of things had happened in two and it was quickly shaping up to be a more than a regular day.

Once they passed the old steel mills Kathy saw lights in the distance.

'Hey look it's...'

'Yeah, light and light means power.' Both ran forward celebrating. It was the new aquarium and strangely enough no one was there when they arrived every door was locked and the windows were boarded up.

Yossi caught up with them a few minutes later with a few more people. He instructed the boy to lead them on their destination. Shortly after the others left Yossi asked about the local neighborhoods and was ready to leave himself.

'Thanks a lot for the help, if you ever need anything come by the center and we can help you out. If you can't find a phone here come over we have one .'

'Alright maybe I'll do that...'

A week call cut her off it sounded like a moan of some sort and came from the under water zoo.

'What was ..?' Kathy began.

'Shh!' Yossi cut her off.

'Ohhh!' The low moan echoed off of the wall inside again

'Let's check it out.' The man in black climbed the fence next to a low spot in the roof. An open window loomed above; its broken glass covered the shingles. Another moan crept through the night air rattling their nerves. Kathy gasped and covered her mouth when Yossi almost fell on the way up; then watched as he reached the window.

'Is someone there?' The Yossi shouted into the building.

'Oh...elp.' He looked back down towards Kathy at hearing the response from inside.

'Someone must be trapped in there for sure, I'm going in.' He said.

'Wait don't leave me here,' she said a bit shook up. The man in his twenty's cocked his head to one side.

'Alone.' She tried. Silence followed, Yossi seemed unconcerned.

'In the dark?' She finally she said with a 'got a clue' tone.

;_I don't believe this guy doesn't he get the hint. Could I scream ''I'm a little scared and want to go with you'' any louder._; Suddenly it clicked and he raised his head

understandingly.

'Oh, sure you can come; I wouldn't leave you out here if I knew you were afraid of the dark.'

_;Whatever._; She thought climbing up after him.

The large building was quiet and dark. No light came through the covered windows, but lights displayed different animals in various parts of a huge tank that spanned the entire establishment. The main attraction of this aquarium was to see everything together in one environment and how they interact. A large catwalk ran the length of the spiffed up warehouse and over the easily hundred foot high tanks. The moan they heard before echoed through the structure giving the impression of spirits.

'Geese, the joint is haunted,' Kathy whispered, glancing uneasily at the sounds point of origin.

'Let's check it out.' Suggested her companion, who started climbing the metal steps. The huge tank loomed below them as the walkway ran right over the middle of it. A station in the exact center was covered with assorted colored chemicals and goos. Some dripped into the water below altering its shade.

'Gosh this is creepy, it looks like a movie I saw once.'

Yossi gulped, 'what happened?'

'A team of scientist got eaten by killer animals.'

'Oh,' the Lubavitcher tightened his hat, ' how pleasant.' A screech sounded as a flying object landed Yossi a hit in the back and sent him over the edge, Kathy screamed and covered her ears.

'Woahhhh..' KUSPLASH! Went the zealot as he fell into the pool. Being the last one left Kathy thought it best to run, but ran into the headless body of a marine specialist.

'Oh my G-d..' She murmured then another screeching, flying ball from hell knocked her into a shelf. She let out another terrified scream trying to steady herself and knocking over countless vials of various liquids. They stunk and crackled on contact with each other running down the shelf soaking her jacket and shirt. The next attacker planted it's beak on her arm and drew a considerable amount of blood. Then, as if disgusted the flying turtle tried to knock her off as well. A final assault doomed her to follow her comrade in the drink, gliding down very loudly to an ungraceful. SPLASH

The water was cold and unwelcoming.

Kathy was struggling to swim towards a rope tied to a rafter in the ceiling. Kathy finally reached it and grasping on hauled her self a few inches out of the water. She hadn't noticed it because of the attack and falling but someone had been calling to her the entire time.

'Hello,' a young man in a lab coat said wearily. He was sitting in an office chair that was also tied to the roof. He gestured with a blood stained hand, 'The flying creatures won't be back; they hate the water.' Kathy was gasping for air, catching her breath after being dunked, but managed to speak in between breaths.

'The man ..who fell before me..?'

The swinging student replied slowly as if there was no hurry. 'He never came up.' He coughed and choked on something. 'don't go down after him until I say so.' He wheezed out, placing a hand in his chest. The seemingly freezing water lapped against her soaked jeans as she swung slowly from side to side.

'Why not?'

His half open eyes drifted off into space not acknowledging her. 'You'll sink.' He merely said.

_; What a stupid answer, this guy is nuts._; Kathy thought.

'Are you high or something?' She questioned him accusingly. Something was wrong with the man.

'No, I wish. You'll sink because there is an underwater current that will drag you under and keep you there if you wear those shoes and that coat. You need to remove them first.'

'You're crazy,' she declared and not wanting to waste time, dove under after Yossi.

'Oh well,' said the student,' there goes my help.'

The current was easy to navigate and she soon reached the bottom of the exhibit. Lights shone up from fake rocks in the floor illuminating the greenery bed. And there was Yossi struggling to swim topside. She tried to help him, he tried to tell her to swim up, a long argument of gestures followed he finally removed his shoes and coat and was making some head way. But try as she would Kathy could not get back up an invisible force was holding her back. Time and time again, she desperately fought the current until all the air left her lungs and water burst in her mouth. Then, out of lack of oxygen, the world went black.

When she awoke Kathy was hanging by a rope just above the water and Yossi was celebrating beside her treading water.

'So listen next time.' The student rebuked her. She breathed out a flood of water and took in air. A few quick breaths restored her thought. 'I am curious to know how you survived that,' he went on, 'but I can pester you when we escape this place.' The now hatless hatter was helping her to get down when the armchair quarterback started his conversation.

'Since I'm sure you're all wondering, I'll tell you my story and some history about the lab.'

The man introduced himself as Robert Conners, a genetic researcher from NY who was working in the lab on, surprize surprize, genetic research. He left for lunch that day and came back to meet the flying, killer, turtles from hell. They bit him and pushed him into the water; he lowered the chair with a pulley on the wall and go it to keep from drowning. Yossi explained how they got here and asked how badly he was hurt.

'I have inherited the ability to heal without treatment from my father. The catch is it is very painful so i have to take morphine to keep from passing out. Don't worry I'm not high like I said before I ran out of it and am just suffering the closing affects of this stuff.'

'Okay.' Yossi was dually freaked out.' Well, do you have any ideas on how to get out of here?'

The man was silent for a while thinking then he finally spoke. 'If you could climb that rope up, no, no, that's won't do it.'

'Why not just climb the rope?' A very cold Kathy asked.

The young researcher waved his hand in the air, 'why the flying turtles from hell will get you. That's where they like to live, in the rafters you see.' Everyone looked up as Conners pointed out each individual beast. They were truly flying turtles, the mean and snapping kind, but they seemed a little silly some how.

The rest of the night was spent arguing about how to escape.

'Eventually someone will come, they have to feed the animals.' Just as Coners said it a loud noise followed as fish poured from a bin into the water.

'Oh well.' The scientist admitted defeat and more arguing ensued.

'I think our best bet is to kill the turtles and climb the rope to the roof.' Yossi suggested.

'That's fine with me,' said the researcher, 'but unless you brought a gun it will be a hard task to accomplish.'

'Where does the rope on your chair go?' Kathy asked scratching the back of her neck.

'Can't climb that it's about to break if more weight gets on it.' He pointed to frayed bits were it would give way. With nothing else to do, everyone tried to find some where safe and dry, but it was in vain. One day small children and their families had peered through the glass walls at various fish and aquatic animals, that day would be long to come again. Yossi floated by on a life preserver and tossed her another, it was going to be a long night.

* * *

Johnny Wales walked past the bar picking up his bowel of soup. It was the thin stew commonly served once a week and would be more frequent as the temperature dropped later in the season. He brought his meal over to where the rest of his company sat eating. They were seven in all; one man extra due to over enlistment in the summer.

"I can't wait to try out the new Magnum mod." One of them said excitedly. "They say it can auto zoom at x2 to 4 in a flash."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Another shot him down, "Remember the T47? I knew from the beginning it was to good to be true." This was a normal conversation at the SMOE all institute. The Infantry all talked about guns and armor, except, of course officers. Johnny was fourth in command on the unit's totem pole and sometimes fanaticized about being an officer, which was unlikely unless it was a field promotion, though. He was good at being second in a lot of things, but failed to be first in any. That earned the respect of being what the SOME called, "solid" a good all around solider.

SOME was a large group of video game addicts who had decided that the games just weren't real enough. So instead of joining the army they formed a secret club where they drilled like a military, but designed their own armor, weapons and other equipment and based it off of the things they used in the various games. Surprisingly enough, they had some of the most advanced technology around, at least since the government hadn't discovered them yet.

Their sergeant walked by the table and it fell quite.

''Tonight Kelly, Brickans will be serving armory and Chickasha, Wales, post. That's all."

John looked across the table at Tera Chickasha, one of the only girls in the unit. It was a long winter night so the watch would hopefully be relieved after the first few hours, but he could tell that the, 'not post again,' expression on her face equaled the, 'not post again,' he was thinking. Reluctantly the group disbanded and went on to finish their daily tasks.

* * *

Oh, by the way I'm back. Eats apple.


End file.
